A Vampire's Guide To The Galaxy
by Bora Olldashi
Summary: Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic barmaid of Fae descent turned vampire who unwittingly time travels to an earlier century, meeting Eric and Godric. Wait, what? She's not sure what she's doing there but she has a bad feeling. AU!
1. In Which I Fall Down The Rabbit Hole

**Disclaimer: Ok so I'm horrible with summaries, but give this a whirl. I think it's going to be fun! Lemons coming (not in this chapter but soon!) which is the reason for the M rating. Also wasn't too sure on the genre's for this one either, so yeah. Hope you like it! Btw Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff. Enjoy!**

I crawled up out of the dirt, bitching under my breath. I hate going to ground but I didn't have much of a choice last night. I hadn't found a meal until the wee hours of the morning and by then I was too far from home to get back before dawn. I couldn't risk hiding out in a building anywhere so I'd had to burrow. I got completely out of the ground and shook myself, trying to dislodge the biggest pieces of filth from my clothes. I stretched lazily and looked around. I needed to get some water to get clean, first of all. I tilted my nose up to see if I could catch the scent of a creek or pond somewhere nearby. I couldn't remember exactly where I was, but I knew I was a ways from home and there was no way I was heading back covered in filth. The air smelled clean and I closed my eyes to savor it. It smelled really clean. Weird. Whatever. I thought I caught a hint of water to the east, so I began to wander that way, putting my plans in order on the way.

First, get clean. Second, get home. Third, kick the shit out of Jessica. If she hadn't made such a ruckus at that pub last week, I wouldn't have had to roam so far last night. I was seriously pissed about the post Russell Edgington attitude toward vampires myself, but that didn't mean I was going to kick into super-slut gear and start drinking everybody's blood. Then again, I just couldn't stomach True Blood or any of that other synthetic crap, either. In any case, I was regretting bringing her along to London. It seemed like a good idea at the time, the whole 'see the world' plan Eric had come up with but after three weeks abroad I just wanted the backwaters of Louisiana. Two tears in a bucket, I guess.

Anyway, after laying a whooping down on Jessica, I'd go find Eric. I still couldn't forgive him for making me vampire when he knew that I didn't want that (which is part of the reason he had suggested this whole adventure in the first place), but I could sort of understand that it was an automatic reaction after what had happened. And let me just tell you that after all the things that had happened to me since I first met Bill, a car crash was the least of my worries. Just another example of the irony of life was that was how I'd died. Almost. Eric had been with me and he claimed that he had acted by instinct in turning me.

I'd thought my human life had been complicated, but after becoming vampire, I realized I hadn't even known the meaning of the word. I was still telepathic, only now I could hear everyone, all beings, crystal clear. Vampires, weres, shifters, fairies. You name it. Another neat side effect of my turning was my Fae blood. The little blue hand thing I was just learning to master with Claudine's help? Yeah, that was still there. Only now, with my vampire emotions being so strong and quick to change, it was a real miracle that I hadn't killed anybody yet. By accident or otherwise. However, over the last few months, I had made serious strides in reigning that in as well. I could channel it now into my physical strength, as opposed to an explosion out of my skin. The one good thing about that was I could overpower Eric. He could still whip me if he wanted to, of course. The strength was short-lived and hard for me to muster, plus he was my Maker and it went against every impulse I had to actually try to hurt him. But it came in handy every now and again and man oh days you should have seen his face the first time I bested him.

I made it over to that pond while I was thinking of these things and peered around for signs of people. I wasn't about to shuck off all my clothes in front of anybody but everything was clear. The woods were quiet, no sign of wildlife even, but then again they usually clam up when we're around anyway.

I peeled the dress off and tossed it in the shallow water near my feet, then made my way in. It was lukewarm and felt delicious on my skin. Must have been a nice, hot day. I slid down to my shoulders and popped my head under the surface, watching my hands wave in front of my face. The water gave everything an eerie quality, like I was looking through a murky glass. I scrubbed at my scalp to loosen the dirt out of my blonde hair and popped back through the surface.

The trees surrounding the pond were big. Huge, even. And dense. I didn't remember the wood being so thick that morning when I'd made my way in. Then again, I was pretty bloated and happy with myself so it's hard to tell exactly what I'd missed. I need to be more careful, can't be slacking in my old age. Eric would bust a gut if heard me refer to myself as old, seeing as how he was basically older than dirt himself. I'd only been a vampire for a few months now.

I suddenly snapped out of my musings with the sick awareness that I was not alone in the woods. I didn't stop moving, no need to alert them and give them the upper hand. I continued to scrub at myself until I appeared to be clean, then moved on to the dress I'd been wearing. I scrubbed it as best I could without soap, all the time calculating where exactly the intruder was positioned. I was fairly certain there was only one, and they were directly behind me, a ways back in the woods. I couldn't be sure if they'd seen me yet or not, but I knew they weren't human. No heartbeat.

I calmly waded out of the water, stark naked, and wrung the dress out on the bank. They were just behind me now, having decided to show themselves, apparently. I calmly turned and looked straight into a chest. A big, bare chest. I tilted my head back, then back a little further, and stared directly into Eric's face.

"Jesus Christ on a piece of toast, Eric, you scared me half to death!" I screeched up at him. He flinched backward at my words, his eyes widening. "Oh spare me, don't act like you don't wanna laugh," I told him, my initial fear turning into annoyance. I realized he was wearing some kind of velvet pedal pushers and he was holding a frilly white something in his hand. "What the hell are you wearing? And what are you doing out here in the woods?" I asked, shaking my dress out. One of the benefits of him being my Maker was that I couldn't care less if he saw me naked. Since I was turned, we'd done it six ways from Sunday on a regular basis. Definitely a big perk to having him as a Maker.

"Who are you and how do you know what I am called?" he asked, his accent much heavier than usual. I scoffed and cut my eyes back up to his, noticing with a start that he was in a defensive pose. I squinted my eyes at him slightly, trying to figure out his angle. His face was serious; his ice blue eyes wary, his strong jaw clenched, those lovely lips of his pursed slightly.

I cocked an eyebrow as if to say 'For real?' and waited for him to speak. He cocked his eyebrow right back and remained mute. I sighed.

"What in hell are you talking about, Eric? It's me, Sookie. Don't play stupid. And I don't think this is very funny considering that whole thing with the witches last year," I said grumpily, pulling the dress on over my head.

"Sookie?" he said my name awkwardly, that accent of his twisting it up. I looked up at him, annoyed. Something in his expression made me pause, and I started to get really creeped out. I could not handle another bout of amnesia with him, and Pam was back home managing the bar. She had opted out of the 'family outing' as she referred to it, claiming she didn't want to leave Indira alone at Fangtasia. Knowing that Eric could feel her through their bond, it wasn't that big of a deal. But if he lost his mind again, I didn't know how I could get her here fast enough. I decided to soldier on, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary and hoped like hell he would start cracking up any second.

"Yep, that's me. Now get out of my way, I wanna get home and get some other clothes," I said in a normal tone of voice, taking a step to the side so I could get around his big Viking ass. He stepped in front of me immediately, blocking my way. My temper flared (I hadn't exactly _perfected_ that yet) and I hauled off and punched him without really thinking about it. He flew backwards with the force of it and I immediately felt bad. I rushed forward to apologize.

"Stop," an imperious voice behind me call. Fuck. I'd let all of my attention focus on Eric and had failed to note another presence. Who the hell could this be?

I turned to see an equally handsome vampire standing in a clearing about 100 yards from me. He was more average height, approximately 5'10" or so, with dark hair cut close to his head. His face was lovely, there really is no other word. His lips were full, wide and luscious and the planes of his face were totally flat. He had deep brown eyes, perfectly spaced and a wonderfully Roman nose. I realized with a sickening twist in my stomach that it was Godric. Eric's Maker. Who I had personally watched meet the sun. "_What in the holy hell is going on here?_" I thought frantically.

"Who are you?" He asked plaintively. My mind was racing a mile a minute and I could feel a Grade-A Freakout coming on.

"My name is Sookie," I answered, hoping I sounded normal. I noted with a lurch that my hands were shaking; that hadn't happened since I was turned.

"My name is Godric," he said, quite calmly. "How old are you?"

"Um, twenty seven," I replied. He looked mildly surprised.

"How old is your maker?"

I glanced back at Eric by reflex. He was standing, watching me warily. I looked back at Godric, trying to tamp down the panic rising in my chest. "About eleven hundred years old."

"What is the year?" he asked. I wrinkled my forehead.

"The year I was made?" I asked, unsure. He nodded the tiniest bit. "2011." I answered.

"I don't understand," he responded. I had not the faintest idea of how to respond to that, so I didn't. There was a long pause in the conversation, during which I tried to think what the fuck was going on here. I had a Guinness World Record case of the willies and wanted nothing more than for somebody to jump out of the woods yelling, 'Just kidding!' but I really didn't think that was going to happen.

"I'm not sure what you're misunderstanding," I finally said, to break the silence. He was silent for a few moments longer.

"You are saying you were created in the year 2011," he answered. I nodded. "Two thousand and eleven years." I nodded again. "Since what?"

"Now I don't understand," I said, mind racing to come up with a possible explanation. I was honing in on one but my sanity was rebelling against it.

"Two thousand and eleven years since what? What are you basing this number on?" he asked, completely in earnest. I paused.

"Since Jesus?" That was basically all I could come up with to answer his question. He looked at me like I was a lunatic, which is funny because I swear that's how I was looking at him. There was basically only one explanation for this, but the question I needed to confirm it was stuck in my throat. All I could do was stare back at him, searching his face and hoping I would see that it wasn't really Godric. But it was. Finally, I was able to ask. "What year is it now?" There was silence for a few moments before Eric spoke behind me.

"The year of our Lord 1532."

_Well I'll be a son of a bitch._

**A/N: Sookie thinks a little more like me than herself in this story :)**


	2. In Which I Get My Crystal Ball Out

**Just wanted to give a big, bloody thank you to LadyHlin for writing my first ever review! Yay! Hope everyone likes this and I will try to keep it coming in quick succession. I already know a lot of what is going to happen, so hopefully it won't be too difficult to post. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all of this stuff.**

"I don't understand," I said in a breathy voice. "I was here, last night, in 2011, minding my own. I had to come north to hunt because one of the others had nearly caused a riot last week. I was too far away to make it back before first light, so I went to ground. Right there," I pointed toward the spot accusingly. "Right there, in 2011. I wake up tonight and you two are here, telling me that it's 1532?" I don't know why I thought laying it all out there would help. Godric paused for a moment.

"Yes." Simple enough. I laughed, coming unhinged a bit. This was not possible.

"This is not possible," I began to pace, clutching my forehead with one hand, the other hand on my waist. Godric tensed slightly and in the next moment Eric was standing next to him. I was aware of the fact that they were both posed to attack but I really couldn't care at the moment.

"Have you had a traumatic episode?" Eric asked cautiously. Great,they thought I was crazy. I guess I couldn't blame them because truth be told, I felt a little crazy in that moment.

"I haven't!" I shouted. "I don't understand what is happening!" I stopped pacing abruptly and put my hands over my face. "What the fuck is going on?" I whispered to myself. I wiped my face and looked up at them. "What is going on?"

They looked at each other. Eric looked a bit worried, Godric looked suspiciously curious.

"I've heard of this but I thought it was only a story," he said slowly. Eric and I both cocked our heads at him.

"Heard of what?" I said suspiciously. He held his hands out, palms down in an age old 'calm the eff down' gesture.

"I have heard it said that time has been transcended," he said. "But only from humans who, as surely you are aware, are fanciful creatures that tend toward the dramatic. You, however, are clearly one of us, and just as clearly you are not lying about your creation," he paused. "We are not lying. Apparently you are not either. That leaves the one explanation that I can find. Eric?" He asked. Eric was sizing me up thoughtfully.

"Yes Godric, I agree," he said slowly. They looked at me questioningly.

"This is ludicrous," I said, not wanting to let that go unnoticed. "But I am not lying, I know that. You two seem to be telling the truth. Or at least you believe you're telling the truth. I really can't think of any other explanation for you being alive right now, I mean, I watched you die with my own eyes!" I realized that was a stupid thing to say when Eric lunged at me, growling. Luckily, Godric's hand snapped around his arm like a vice, preventing him from actually launching himself onto me.

"Explain yourself," Godric said quietly. I took a deep breath, not like I needed it. If they didn't think I was bat-shit crazy before, they would after this.

"Eric is my Maker," I looked at the Maker in question as I said it, and he was visibly shocked. "I met him in 2008, in Shreveport, Louisiana. That's in America, which you probably don't even know about yet," I was trying to do some quick addition but the thing is, I was not too keen on American history. "Vampires revealed themselves to humans in 2006, when a blood substitute was created for medical purposes. Eric, you own a bar, er, bawdy house, in the future and you're a powerful vampire in your area," sweet Jesus I was freaking myself out with this, so I couldn't really blame them for the petrified looks on their faces. A burning wave of terror washed through my chest as I realized witches were persecuted somewhere around this time but then I remembered I was a vampire. They couldn't really out me, so I tamped it down and soldiered on.

"You pursued me until I finally 'relented' as you love to say, and we began a relationship. Then one night, we were in a horrible accident. You obviously, were fine, while I was nearly dead. You changed me that night, which was less than a year ago. The reason we are even in England is that I am still very angry with you for changing me, as I had told you multiple times in the past that I would rather die. You, being you, ignored that when it came down to the wire and changed me anyway. So you're trying to make up for it with a trip to tour the world," I paused, wondering how much of that made sense to them. I was trying not to say anything that they wouldn't understand, like the fact that it was a car accident, or that Eric was a high-handed egotistical a-hole half the time. I raised my eyebrows at them, trying to gauge if they got it.

"We have known each other?" Eric asked haltingly. I was about to answer yes when I realized he was saying 'known' as in _known._ I barked out a quick laugh.

"Of course you would focus on that," I said, feeling like I did when he finally recovered his memory after the Marnie incident. His lips formed a faint smile before he furrowed his brow.

"But you saw Godric die," he repeated my revelation from a few minutes before. I nodded.

"Yes. Godric, you also were a powerful vampire in a different area than ours. The Authority subdivided the New World, America, into areas. Each has a hierarchy of power within it," I explained briefly, noting the way they both tensed when I said The Authority. "Anyway, after the Great Revelation, which is how we refer to vampires revealing themselves, some humans banded together against us. One particularly powerful group is called The Fellowship of the Sun. They were attempting to kidnap a vampire to force the to meet the sun-"

"Godric would not be kidnapped by humans," Eric sneered.

"Eric, let her speak," Godric said in that same quiet voice. I bit my lip, not relishing this role of fortune teller one bit.

"He's right, you were not kidnapped. You," I paused, wondering how to say this. "You went to them willingly, thinking it would solve everything. Eric, of course, thought they had somehow captured you and lost his mind with worry. He sent me to find you during the day, since I was still human at that time. The funny thing is, you actually found me. One of their underlings was trying to rape me and you killed him," I said, the words infused with the gratitude I still felt for him. "To make a long story short, Eric came to the church and got me out but not before one of your underlings, Stan, got there and threatened to kill every human within the walls," I told them. "Afterwards, they sent a human boy to kill us all with an explosive devise filled with silver but we survived and retired to a salon," (thank God I read all those romance novels, or else I would really be at a loss for some of these words). "Nan Flannigan, who is the face of vampirism in the future, stripped you of your titles, which you willingly conceded, stating that Isabelle, your second in command, should assume them," I noticed the recognition on their faces when I said Nan's name. "As that night drew to an end, you met the sun." I finished lamely.

There was silence for a few beats while I was frantically thinking of a way to solidify the fact that I was telling the truth. Knowing about The Authority and Nan Flannigan didn't prove any of what I'd just said. Obviously they knew both entities as well. My mind was racing a million miles an hour before it latched onto something I couldn't have known.

"Of course Eric was very distraught. I followed you to the top of the building, where you eventually met the sun. I saw your last exchange. Godric, you told Eric that two thousand years is enough. He said he couldn't accept it, that it was insanity. You told him that vampires existence was insanity, that vampires weren't right, that they didn't belong here. He argued that there was no right and wrong, only survival or death. He threatened to keep you alive by force," I said, my voice cracking slightly as I recalled the scene in perfect detail. I paused for a moment. "You countered that even if he could, it would be cruel. I don't know what you all said next because I can't speak whatever language you were speaking in. Then Godric, you said 'Vater, Bruder, Son. Let me go.' And then Eric," I realized, to my horror, that I had a tear on my face. I wiped the bloody streak away quickly and cleared my throat. I glanced at their faces. They believed me now, that was clear. 'Eric, you said you wouldn't let him die alone, but he of course didn't let you meet the sun with him. He released you, and you left." I decided to leave out the part where he was crying and begging.

"And you stayed with me," Godric finished for me. I nodded slightly. I decided, against my better judgement, to let my shields down and see what they were thinking. Godric's thoughts were slow, calm. Eric's were frenzied and incomplete. However, both of them thought in a different language, so I had no idea exactly what they were thinking. I pulled the shields back up, effectively blocking them both out again. The next few moments felt like an eternity as no one spoke. We all just sort of watched each other. Finally, Eric broke the silence.

"Well it seems you are not lying, after all."

"No, I'm definitely not," I concurred. Godric shook himself slightly.

"Well then, we need to learn why you are here," he declared. I looked at him, a tad confused. "Things do not just happen," he explained. "Obviously there is some reason that you are here, now, with us. We need to learn that reason." Hm. The man made a point.

"So, where do we begin?" I asked, more than ready to figure this out and get back to where I belonged.

"I should think we need to get you properly clothed before anything else," Godric replied, his voice like velvet with a smile curving one side of his mouth as he looked down at the dress still clinging wetly to my curves. The look on his face reminded me exactly of Eric and I swear I would've blushed if I could have. "Is this what they wear in the future?"

"Yes, but they usually wear it dry," I responded sharply, feeling really weird that my boyfriends dead Maker was pseudo-checking me out with my boyfriend standing right there. Er, future boyfriend? I was surprised when they both laughed at my retort.

"Either way, it won't pass for clothing here," Eric decided. He looked at Godric."The Little Rose?" Godric nodded.

"That will do," he agreed. "Please, follow us," he smiled at me, bowing slightly and turning away from the pond. I followed them out of the woods, a little nervous.

"Um, what is The Little Rose, exactly?" I asked in a timid voice. Eric answered without turning to face me.

"A brothel, of course."

_Oh. A brothel. Of course._

**A/N: The Little Rose was a property in Southwark England that was suspected of being a brothel. However, it was not until the late 1500's, so the dates don't exactly match up. Be prepared for that in the future of this story please, I'll be pretty shotty with seamlessly matching the actual history of it up, though I will try to keep it believable. Thanks for reading!**


	3. In Which I Ho It Up, Old School Style

**So I am trying to get this listed under True Blood but am experiencing technical difficulty :-/ Hopefully I can rectify that soon. In the meantime, please enjoy! More coming soon. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff. Except the hookers.**

I followed them out of the woods to find that we were relatively close to the city. Village? Town? Whatever. I was not thrilled with the idea of going to a brothel, but I had to assume that they knew what they were talking about. Eric pulled his shirt on and I stifled a laugh seeing the frilly ruffles around his neck and wrists. Though I had to admit that he still looked impressive. I thought for a second and decided that he would be sexy in literally anything he put on.

They took to the alleys as soon as we were able, though I was fascinated by the carriages on the main roadways. It was clear that I wasn't in Kansas anymore from a quick glance at my surroundings. And the smell. Sweet Lord it reeked. I could pick out manure, feces, urine, rotten foods, and infection right off the top of the disgusting stench that enveloped us as soon as our feet hit the cobblestones. I stifled a groan and immediately stopped breathing. Looking around, I noticed the alleys we were in were littered with makeshift hovels, piles of excrement that had been apparently thrown out of the windows of the more permanent structures, dirty children sleeping literally on the side of the street. I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to just take one. I immediately rebuked myself for the thought, even if it was my nature to look at things this way now.

I was fascinated by the fact that I truly had gone back in time. How and why that had happened, I didn't know just yet (but I had a bad, bad feeling about it) but at the same time, a little part of me couldn't help but thrill to the thought. One of my favorite romance novels had a plot sort of like this; the main character had been magically transported to an earlier time and fallen in love with a warrior she met there. I knew it was farfetched but there I was, living the same thing. Only I already was in love (lust?) with one of the warriors I had met. And thankfully, I was not human so I didn't really have to worry about contracting the bubonic plague or whatever else disease might be gallivanting around the 1500's. I tried to think where in history this year fell; Middle Ages? Dark Ages? Medieval times? Victorian Era? Not that it really mattered, but I was sure it fell into one of those categories.

I was busy trying to figure out where the hell I was and so I didn't realize when we stopped in front of a stoop. I ran right into Eric's backside and cursed myself for being clumsy. Seriously, a clumsy vampire? Leave it to me. He turned his head to look at me, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

"You might warn me the next time you wish to touch me," he said in an all too familiar tone. "I will not object, I assure you."

"I bet you wouldn't," I replied familiarly, rolling my eyes. A second later I had a really weird _deja vous _feeling when I realized I technically didn't know him. Yet. What? Lord, I was going to drive myself crazy trying to figure this out. He smirked and turned back around. I was seized with a fierce need to hug him, touch him, ask him to comfort me. Obviously he would let me, being fundamentally Eric. But I was looking more for the Eric who was in love with _me_ and not the Eric who was in love with _women_. I shook my head to clear it, realizing that my Eric was about 500 years in the future.

Godric pushed the door open and we walked inside. I couldn't help but look everywhere, enthralled by the fact that I was in an actual brothel in the 1500's. There were thick carpets on the floor and heavy wooden furniture littering the room. There were gold candelabras all over the place, giving the room a well lit appearance. It was, well, charming. Even if it was a brothel. As soon as we stepped in, a heavyset woman bustled in through a hallway.

"Ah, Mr. Northman, Mr. Pictwell, a very good evening to you both," she gushed warmly. I took a moment to study her, fascinated by her clothes. She was wearing a thick velvet dress with huge belled sleeves and lace popping out of every possible place. It dark green and laced tight around her middle, with a froth of cream silk bubbling from under her neck. There was a scrap of linen of the same cream color pinned to the top of her head, with dark red curls shining greasily under it. Her face was pleasantly flushed and she looked like a kindly old aunt. I smiled slightly at her as she winked a bright green eye at me.

"Mrs. Cotillard," Godric replied smoothly. He bent slightly and kissed her hand, then Eric followed suit. "We find ourselves in need of your assistance, I'm afraid. Please meet our acquaintance, Sookie Farland," he slid his hand behind my shoulder, pushing me gently toward the lady._ Farland?_ I had no clue how to meet someone, so I did a kind of weird bob and shook her hand awkwardly. I knew that was wrong by the look on her face but it was too late to take it back. I glanced quickly up at Eric, who raised an eyebrow at my antics.

"Miss Farland, please to meet you," she replied kindly, quickly glossing over my faux pas."I imagine you'll be in need of a proper gown?" she asked, eyes traveling down my body and coming back to rest on my face. I nodded, feeling ridiculously exposed.

Just then, another woman entered behind Mrs. Cotillard. She was about a head taller than myself and beautiful. She wore her long, dark hair loose over her shoulders. Her skin was creamy and clear, her nose very straight, her eyes a clear gray color. She wore a dress quite similar to Mrs. Cotillard's but much lower cut and in a brown color. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, apparently sizing me up. I stared right back at her. She cut her eyes up to Eric and her face split into a huge smile. I was happy to note there were a couple of teeth missing, even if they weren't the front ones. I was unhappy to note that Eric smiled right back at her. She floated over to him, running her hand down the length of his arm. I tensed and had to stop myself from ripping her off of him.

"Hello, lover," he purred. The rage I felt at that moment was indescribable. _Lover, my ass!_ I made a mental note to rip his throat out if he ever, in any century, tried calling me that again. Godric could apparently sense my anger, because he smoothly slid to my side, effectively drawing my attention back to Mrs. Cotillard.

"Yes, of course, dear lady. That is exactly what she needs. Can you assist us?" he asked. I gritted my teeth, trying to block out the titters of the 16th century ho-bag behind me and focus instead on the 16th century lady-pimp in front of me.

"But of course," she answered in a silky voice. "Court dress?" I didn't personally like the sounds of that, but Godric nodded immediately.

"Yes, of course. She will be accompanying us to the castle and therefore will need something presentable. We are prepared to recompense you for all expenses, of course," he told her. Her eyes practically glowed at the mention of 'recompense'. I really needed to take a crash course in the vernacular. I thought of the ESL class Eric had taken before we'd met, lamenting the fact that there was probably no Old School Fancy Talk as a Second Language class I could take. I was also simultaneously imagining the myriad ways I could kill the girl behind me, as I heard the sound of a large Viking hand running down a big, fat, velvet covered ass behind me.

"Of course. Please follow me, dear," she told me, turning on her heel. I looked at Godric, who nodded slightly.

"I will be right here when you get finished," he told me. I didn't like the fact that he said 'I' instead of 'we', taking that to mean the Eric would be elsewhere, but what could I do? I nodded and marched behind the big bustle of fabric leading the way down the hallway. We walked to a stairway that led up to another hall filled with closed doors. She let us into the second door on the right, which was apparently some kind of closet. There were dresses and what I guessed were petticoats arranged along one wall in a rainbow of colors. I noticed that there was a table set in the corner with various pieces of jewelry scattered across it. I stared in amazement at the shoes on the floor, the style was so alien from anything I'd ever seen, most of them were hardly more than slippers but each pair boasted a curved heel. I wondered briefly how the hell anyone could walk in them.

"I think blue, don't you, dear?" she asked, floating over to the dresses. She rifled through a few, looked back at me thoughtfully, then resumed her search. After a few moments, she spun around with a dress in her hands. It was a dark blue color, with all kinds of gold embroidery and stiff fabric. I looked at it warily, not really sure I had the energy to approach it. Turns out, I didn't have to worry about that. Mrs. Cotillard moved surprisingly quick for as heavy as she was, and before I knew what was happening, she had me out of my little cotton summer dress and halfway into the blue monstrosity. She was pushing, pulling, pinching and tucking while I tried to squirm in whatever direction I thought she was taking me. Finally I just decided to remain immobile, letting her take care of it. She bent me whichever way she needed me, giving me slight instructions as she went; _hold still, lean this way, suck in that middle, hold your breath, my you're chilly aren't you dear?_

With one final, savage, tightening of strings, she declared me dressed. I looked down, taking in the result. My boobs were spilling out of a square cut neckline, trimmed in golden embroidery, which looked really nice against the dark blue fabric of the dress. My waist was about three inches around, give or take, with all of the restrictive strings pulled as tight as they would go. Thank God I didn't have to breathe. The skirt of the dress flared out at my hips with the fabric split in the front. Underneath the dark blue showed a light gold colored silk, which I had to admit, looked pretty damn nice. The sleeves on my dress were narrower than Mattress Mary's downstairs, and I wondered briefly which style was more popular. I would assume mine, since Godric was paying for it.

"Sit here, sweet," she crooned behind me, shoving a stool under my butt and pushing me down on to it. She quickly began fixing my hair before I had a chance to even register the fact that I wasn't standing up anymore.

"You really needn't worry about Nell, you know, it's only a diversion for him," she said conversationally. I assumed she was referring to Mattress Mary and Eric and I stiffened a little. She clucked her tongue. "When it comes time to marry, he'll not be looking for the likes of her," she said matter of faculty. I tried to think of something to say to that but failed. "Although I have to admit that there is something alluring about the dear Mr. Pictwell, do you not agree?" se asked me, conspiratorially. I thought about Godric, his cool confidence, his perfect face forever straddling the line between adolescence and manhood.

"Yes, I suppose there is," I agreed with her after a moment. She tugged my hair this way and that, stabbing me in the scalp with pins as she went along.

"Though that Mr. Northman is a fine specimen of his own accord," she chuckled behind me. "May I ask how you are acquainted with the gentlemen?"

"Oh I know them through a mutual acquaintance," I said offhandedly, hoping like hell she wouldn't press for details.

"I see," she said, letting it drop. After a few more moments, she walked around to the front of me and looked at her handiwork. "Lovely. I think we shall leave it at that, with no wimple. You are unmarried?" I nodded. "Very well then. Now we only need a pair of slippers and I do believe you will be presentable," she spun around to peruse the shoes on the floor behind her. A moment later, she was peeling my flip flops off, looking at them like they might bite her, and pushing my feet into a pair of gold colored heels. They were surprisingly not as uncomfortable as I'd have thought, but still way worse than my flip flops. "Perfection," she said, standing me up again. I took a few experimental steps in the shoes, finding that they were maneuverable after all. She led me to a mirror. I was really taken aback by my appearance. The dark blue stood off wonderfully from my pale skin (a side effect of being a vampire that I was not happy with at all) and my boobs looked outstanding. My eyes glowed brightly back at me, picking up the color of the dress perfectly. She had braided my hair and wrapped it around the back of my head in a circular pattern. I was pleased to note that it looked like spun silk and matched the embroidery of the gown as well. I nodded, surprised at how well I liked the outcome. She smiled behind my shoulder.

"Now then dear, let's get back to your men," she said, smiling brightly at me. I started to protest but then decided to leave it at that. I followed her back into the hall, being extra careful on the steps with my new shoes. As we entered into the main room, all conversation stopped. I glanced up and noticed that Eric and Godric were still there, as well as Nell the Ho, three other men, and another prostitute. All eyes were glued to me. I froze, thinking I had unknowingly made another social error, and instinctively looked to Eric for guidance. He was riveted to me, and I have to say, I felt pretty damn smug about it. His eyes locked onto mine, and the wave of lust gushing off of him almost knocked me over. I stared right back into his eyes, enjoying the powerful feeling I got every time I saw that look on his face, before I pulled my gaze away from him and focused on walking the rest of the way into the room.

"Breathtaking," Godric smiled as I stepped up beside them. I flashed a big smile at him, glancing briefly over at Eric. He was still staring at me, much to the annoyance of Nell. I made a show of licking my lips before responding to Godric.

"Thank you very much, it seems the lovely Mrs. Cotillard is a miracle worker in the clothing department," I said modestly.

"Nonsense, dear, you're marvelous," she dismissed my praise. "Now you say you're heading to court this evening, Mr. Pictwell?"

"Yes, my lady. We will be on our way directly. The lovely Lady Boleyn has requested our presence specifically this evening," he answered her. The Lady Boleyn? My head spun as I realized he could only be talking about Anne Boleyn. I thought quickly of all the things I knew about her; she had captivated King Henry, facilitated his divorce, married him to be the queen, and later was decapitated by him. I had read a couple of historical fiction novels about her, all of them laced with the same theme: dread. She had caused events to occur that rendered no one safe, not even the royal family. I shivered at the thought, wondering where exactly in her life we were at the moment. I knew everything progressed rather quickly with her, but I didn't know the exact dates.

"Yes, it seems she is hosting a party to rival that of Queen Catherine's," Eric added.

_Oh great, _I thought. _We're right in the eye of the shit storm._

**A/N Sorry if this chapter was a little weird, I'm basically just trying to get them to court in a hurry :)**


	4. In Which I Ogle 16th Century Vampires

**Thanks for the reviews/alert requests! It's definitely motivating =) This chapter is a little short but I wanted to segue into the court scene without making any one chapter too long. I really hope you like it! More coming soon. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff.**

I stood outside the brothel, waiting for Godric and Eric to join me. I assumed they were paying for the dress I was wearing. I looked casually up an down the street, trying to keep the growing panic from taking me over. I had no idea how I'd ended up here; nothing made sense. Everything about my current situation was freaking me the hell out. Especially Eric. I couldn't seem to grasp the fact that he was Eric, but not _Eric_. I certainly wasn't happy seeing him interact with that girl inside the brothel, but couldn't expect him to fall madly in love with me just because we would fall in love 500 years from now. He wasn't even the same guy I knew. Would know? This seriously was going to drive me insane. If I wasn't already; I still hadn't ruled that out as a possible explanation for all this. I heard the door opening to my right and glanced over to watch Eric and Godric emerge onto the cobblestones.

They had both been wearing linen shirts and knicker type pants when we'd arrived, a casual kind of look I guess. Now they both had on fancy jackets, lots more frills, and leotards. Ok, I doubt they were called leotards but that's what they were. Again I had the urge to giggle, but at the same time they looked kind of dashing. I'd always been a big fan of romance novels, especially ones set in 'knight in shining armor' times, and they both could have just walked off the cover of any of the books I'd read.

Eric shot a smoldering look over at me and I returned it as best I could. He might not be my Eric but he was still Eric and that meant he was still the sexiest son of a bitch I'd ever laid eyes (or anything else) on in my life. Tall, broad shouldered, literally oozing sexual energy. His face was ruggedly handsome with bold lines and strong edges. His perfectly straight nose knifing between those ice blue eyes of his, a smirk playing on the corners of his lovely mouth. I had to consciously stop myself from swooning. I noticed that his jacket was a blue comparable to the color of my dress, with silver accents. I peeled my eyes away from him and looked over at his maker, surprised to note that he was shooting me a little smolder of his own. Hm.

Now, my dating history isn't a big secret to anyone who knows me. It's tough trying to date when you can hear every thought the other person has. Part of what drew me to vampires in the first place was their mental silence. Of course, that got shot to hell when I became a vampire, since I could hear them now too. However, I was also much more in control of my shields against hearing things I didn't want to hear. In fact, quite a few things had changed about me since I became a vampire. First of all, I was a lot less grossed out by blood. Obviously. I was also a lot more open to glamouring. The thing is, sometimes you just had to do it. I figured it like this: If we weren't supposed to do it, we wouldn't be able to do it. Yes, I was aware that my logic on that one had more holes than an afghan in the attic during rodent breeding season, but I stuck to it. One thing I'd been learning from Eric was that eternity is an awful long time to feel bad about yourself. I had decided a couple months after turning that if I couldn't help it, I wasn't going to worry about it.

Things I couldn't help were feeding on people (Pam was right, that synthetic blood tasted worse than shit), glamouring sometimes, thinking of myself before others (though I still tried to reverse that when I was able to), and having an increased libido. Like, way increased. One thing I was perpetually mortified by when I was first turned was how hot and bothered everything got me. Not that I'd been with anybody but Eric, but I could see how inhibition was easy to let go of, let me put it that way. My point here is, Godric's attractiveness was not lost on me. At all.

He was truly handsome. He had lustrous dark hair, cropped close to his head. His brow was broad and clear, punctuated by thick, dark brows and deep, dark eyes. His lashes were dark and lovely, framing those extraordinary eyes, and curling slightly at the tips. His lips were meticulously shaped, full, wide, with a perfect Cupid's bow dipping in the center beneath a strong, straight nose, slightly broad but attractively so. His chin was pointed, not too much, not too little, and strong (I hate a man with a weak chin, and have found that their character usually matches). His jaw was also strong, with hard edges, and in the uncertain light on the street it appeared that his flat cheeks were slightly flushed. His clothes were a rich burgundy color, accented with gold.

I realized I'd literally just eye fucked them both for who knows how long so I abruptly looked away, trying to casually appear like I was taking in the general scenery. Before I could stop my idiot self, I glanced back over at them, making the most ridiculous surprised face in the history of the world. The only thing that would have been worse is if I'd followed it up with 'Oh, imagine running into you two here!' I mentally bitch slapped myself and huffed as I stepped toward them. Eric chuckled and Godric looked decidedly amused.

"Can we please get this show on the road?" I asked, irritated at myself. The sooner I figured this out, the sooner I got back home. They simultaneously quirked their eyebrows at me, confused. "Let's away?" I rephrased uncertainly.

"Ah, yes. Let's," Godric concurred, cocking his arm out and looking at me expectantly. I looked at him, not sure what he was expecting exactly. He wiggled his elbow a little and I suddenly realized he was offering to escort me. I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow and we started walking. "Now, I believe when we get to court, it's best if you say as little as possible," he said to me in a conversational tone. I felt my hackles rise and was getting ready to retort when he continued. "It will be difficult enough explaining who you are and why we brought you with us, and the dear Lady Boleyn has a slightly suspicious nature as it is." The last thing I wanted to do was make her suspicious of me or get on her bad side at all. Granted, I supposed I could just massacre everyone in the place if I had to, but I wasn't really sure what that would do to history. Or the future, for that matter. Oh God, the future! Was Eric going to know me in the future after this? What would that mean? What about Godric? Was I changing the course of the future by being here? I felt the panic starting to rise up again, so I decided to pull myself back to the present (past?) by answering Godric.

"Agreed. Do not speak unless spoken to. Got it," I replied, trying to think of anything other than the scary ass questions that were trying to invade the front stage of my mind.

"Perhaps you are Eric's younger sister? Come to visit from Spain?" Godric wondered. I pulled the classic 'what are you smoking?' face at him.

"Eric is from Spain?" I asked sarcastically. If anybody believed that the obviously Swedish man behind me was a Spaniard, maybe we could act like I was a cousin visiting from Mars, just hanging around until my unicorn was up and running, ready to shoot rainbows out of its ass and fly us back home to outer space. Eric laughed behind me and I felt a thrill at the familiar sound.

"Hardly. They believe my family is in Spain running an export service. We haven't given many specific details so touting you as my sister would work," he told me. I suppressed a heebie-jeebie thinking of the many unbrotherly things Eric had done to my body in the past (future? WTF!). "I agree, that would likely be best."

"Very well then," Godric agreed. I decided to lay down a ground rule here.

"Ok, now I realize you two don't know me technically, but I would appreciate it if you kept the whole making-decisions-for-me thing to an absolute minimum in the future," I said, annoyed. Godric's mouth quirked up.

"Please accept my apology," he said, voice amused. "What would you suggest?" I thought for a second, realizing I really didn't have any better suggestions.

"Well, I suppose Eric's sister is best," I said, trying not to sound as silly as I felt. I caught Godric nod slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"We will call you Sookie but introduce you at court as Skjaldvör. Skjaldvör Northman," Eric said. I scoffed.

"What? I can't even say that!" I protested.

"Try it," was his only response.

"Skeltfor?" I asked, feeling really weird saying it.

"Now that wasn't so difficult," he said approvingly.

"Don't you think we could just say Susanna or something like that?" I asked, not liking the sound of the name he had picked.

"Skjaldvör is more authentic. I did have a sister named Skjaldvör, when I was human," he said in a subdued tone. I tried to mask the shock I felt at his revelation. Eric and I had never talked much about his human life. I knew that he'd been a Viking and a warrior. That he was deemed a man at the age of twelve and married his brother's widow, Aude, when he was sixteen. I knew also that he'd fathered six children, three of which died while he was still human. Aude had died with the last baby in childbirth. Other than that, he hadn't ever told me any other details and I had never mustered up the gusto to pry. It felt like an oddly personal thing for him to mention, so I stopped arguing.

"Fine, Skjaldvör it is," I muttered.

"There, now that was perfect,' I could hear the smile in his voice. I rolled my eyes, knowing he couldn't see, but couldn't suppress a small smile of my own at hearing how pleased he was. I looked up and realized there was a massive castle towering ahead of us. It dwarfed everything around it, with four large domes on each edge and impressive keyhole windows every few yards along the width. I stared up at it, shocked by the newness of it. I'd seen it in the future, of course, but it was aged, slightly neglected looking then. Now, it was imposing, strong, a symbol of the prosperity of the country. I stopped in my tracks, staring up at it. Eric stopped on Godric's opposite side as I continued to take it in.

"My lady," Godric said reverently at my side. "The Tower of London."

"Showtime," I whispered. They both looked at me, obviously confused by the phrase. I sighed and made a mental note to keep my mouth shut inside.

_'I most definitely am not living right.'_

**A/N Again, I know it's kind of short and not a lot happened but stick with me. I'm going to try to load the next chapter later today. Hope you like it!**


	5. In Which I Lick The Royal Window

**So I just realized that we're five chapters deep and still in the first night lol. I hope this isn't dragging on for you guys. Thanks for the lovely reviews/ideas that you all are giving me. I'm glad you're liking the humor, I know I'm cracking myself up as I write some of this =) I think we'll learn more about the maker/child situation and whether or not they feel each other in the next chapter FYI (good one, Erin1705!). Thanks again, please enjoy, let me know how I'm doing. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own this stuff.**

I gave my big girl panties a tug and followed Godric and Eric into the Tower of London. I was surprised that the guards seemed to recognize them, but then remembered that Anne Boleyn had personally requested their presence for her party this evening. Obviously, they were regulars at the castle. I wondered briefly how they managed to evade daytime events here. I knew from the reading I'd done that England's royalty was big on hunts and jousts and things like that. I'd be willing to bet that they were glamouring away the invitations.

The halls of the castle were large with high ceilings. There were big iron chandeliers suspended above us with thick candles burning in them. The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries with carpets covering most of the floors. I followed my escorts through turns and stairwells, not sure how I would find my way out if I were in a hurry. Finally we stopped in front of a huge doorway, which was guarded by two men. Eric stepped to my side.

"Remember, try not to talk if you can help it. And if you can't avoid it, do try to speak properly," he tucked my hand into his elbow and patted my arm, smiling down at me. I squinted my eyes up at him, really wanting to bust off some smart remark. I found it indescribably perturbing that I couldn't and that even if I did, he probably wouldn't understand it anyway. The guards swung the doors open and we followed Godric into the room.

It was huge, sort of like an auditorium. There were large banquet tables set up with some really decadent looking dishes spread over them. I was totally grossed out by a whole pig on a platter, complete with it's face. I can't even blame it on being a vampire, that would have grossed me out when I was human too. I curled my lip and looked around at the rest of the room. There were people everywhere, way more than I would have expected for a 'little party' but then again, what did I know about royal bashes?

I had to admit I was fascinated by the people. They strutted around like peacocks, men and women alike. The wash of vibrant colors was captivating, literally every hue of the rainbow was present and accounted for. The women were magnificently outfitted in huge, billowing gowns of every fabric, and the men were just as resplendent. I noticed a raised dais in the back center of the room and felt a little excitement at the realization that I was looking at Anne Boleyn and King Henry the Eighth.

They were sitting on thrones, really there was no other way to describe their seats. I was a little shocked at the brazen statement she was making, knowing that Catherine was still technically the queen. Anne was wearing a stunning green gown, very fitted at the top and flared at the hips. She had a pearl necklace with a gold 'B' charm on it. Her hair was dark and glossy, pulled up into a tightly braided bun, with a little green hairpiece attached in front of it. Her skin was clear and her face was very strong. I'm not sure I thought she was beautiful, in the traditional sense, but she was definitely very alluring. Strong nose, stern jaw, straight brows. Her dark eyes glowed against her alabaster skin and her cheeks were a charming rosy pink. She was clearly in her element here.

The king was captivating. He exuded confidence and power. He was sprawled over his throne in a way that reminded me instantly of the lion most record books from the time referred to him as. He was very handsome, with his ruddy curls cropped short and dark stubble on his face. His clothes were elegant, dark browns and golds, and he looked very comfortable in them. He had a good build, wide shoulders, strong looking legs. I could see how he had gotten a reputation for being a lady's man in his youth. I was studying him closely when he looked directly at me, catching me looking at him. I looked away immediately, not wanting to call any undue attention to myself. Definitely not wanting the king to be checking me out; that was the absolute last thing I needed.

Eric's strong arm slid around the back of my shoulders, gently steering me to the right side of the room. I didn't know whether he'd noticed the king looking, or if he just had enough good sense to want to prolong the inevitable meeting until I'd gained my bearings. Either way, it was a wasted effort.

"The Lady beckons," Godric said under his breath, looking meaningfully up at Eric. I looked up at him too, and noticed that his jaw was clenched. I had the sneaking suspicion that there was something else going on here followed by the distinct feeling that I really didn't want to know what it was. We waded through the sea of people toward the dais, where servants were hastily arranging chairs to the side of Anne's throne. Eric and Godric bowed and I followed suit, awkwardly kicking a heel out in a sad attempt to turn my bow into a curtsey. I really needed to ask somebody how the hell introductions were supposed to be done because I was pretty certain I looked like a fool. Eric's look of disdain was not lost on me, and I shot him a withering glare in return.

"Your Majesty, my Lady Boleyn," Godric spoke, smiling warmly at the couple. I could feel the Kings eyes on me and in an attempt to not look at him but not be rude, I kept my eyes demurely downcast.

"My dear Mr. Pictwell," Anne replied, just as warmly. "Mr. Northman," she nodded politely at Eric, who dipped his head in response. The King remained oddly quiet. "Who is your lovely guest?" I glanced up to gauge her facial expression and was surprised to note she looked courteously interested.

"My Lady Boleyn, I present to you Skjaldvör Northman, my younger sister," Eric said in a silky voice. Here I executed what I truly hoped was a proper curtsey but I was pretty sure it came out looking like I was trying to teach her how to dougie. She either didn't notice that I was in the middle of an epileptic fit, or simply chose not to comment on it.

"Skjaldvör?" Anne asked, pronouncing the name perfectly.

"Yes, my lady. Our family calls her Sookie," he smiled indulgently down at me.

"That certainly rolls off of the tongue a bit better, eh?" the King chimed in. I glanced over at him and he winked at me conspiratorially. I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I smiled a bit and looked back at Anne. She had a steely smile on her face now and I had an 'oh shit' moment.

"Tell me, Sookie, how do you find our court?" she asked, raising an eyebrow elegantly. I glanced up at Eric, who was staring directly at Anne and then over at Godric, who gave me the ghost of a smile.

"I find that you, er, thee, uh, hast thine gilded quite properly to suit," I responded shakily, my voice rising gradually until the end of the sentence came out in a squeak. I made a constipated face as I registered what had actually just come out of my mouth, realizing that not a single word of what the fuck I just said made any sense whatsoever. I quickly plastered my old 'crazy Sookie' smile on my face, hoping like hell we could just gloss over that. I didn't dare look at Eric or Godric, instead I just stared back at Anne. She got a sort of 'WTF' look on her face before she gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I'm so very glad you like it," she told me in a voice that people typically reserved for small children and the mentally handicapped. Awesome. Apparently, I was no longer a threat as far as she was concerned, since I obviously should be off licking a window somewhere.

"My sister is not well versed in English, please excuse her," Eric tried to do some damage control, which lead to the million dollar question.

"What language do you speak, dear?" she asked me kindly.

"Swedish, of course," Eric answered for me, apparently afraid that I would say the wrong thing.

"How lovely. Please, speak to me in Swedish. I do so relish the sound of foreign tongues," she looked challengingly up at Eric. I hit my internal panic button. The only Swedish words I knew were those shouted by the big idiot Viking beside me in the throes of passion. I really didn't think it would be appropriate for me to scream "_Heliga bevar mig!" _or anything about Odin in polite company.

My brain was racing a million miles a second, trying to think of some way to save my ass. I really felt like this was something that the _centuries old vampires_ beside probably should have freaking predicted, but I didn't really have time to point fingers. Instead, I did the only thing I could do. I ripped my shields down and jumped feet first into Eric's thoughts. I remembered that he always thought in his native language, so I took a deep breath and started repeating his thoughts as I heard them.

"Vad en maskopi ordvalet. Jag borde ha vetat hon skulle försöka dra en fälla som denna. Jag tycker inte vi inte förbereda flicka," I hoped my accent was believable. "Jag måste tänka på något att säga, jag måste göra något för att täcka detta. Jag undrar om jag kunde glamour dem båda samtidig," I tried to animate my face while I was speaking, hoping she would buy it. It was tricky, because I had no idea what I was saying, but I gave it a good effort. I noticed that Godric and Eric were standing frighteningly still, staring at me unblinkingly. I probably should have mentioned my 'gift' to them a little earlier. Anne clapped her hands, smiling widely.

"Lovely! What did she say, Eric?" I looked up at Eric, who looked like someone just walked over his grave. He quickly recovered.

"She said she is very pleased to be here, and so happy to make your acquaintance, my lady. She says she never dreamed she would be in the presence of such a fine lady as yourself, or the divine presence of our dear King. She thanks you for having her," he replied, not missing a beat.

"You are quite welcome," she told me in a genuine tone. I figured I might as well skip into their thoughts while I was at it, discovering that the king was picturing sex with me (shocker) while Anne was surprised. She had thought Eric was lying, that I was a fling and he was trying to cover his ass by introducing me as his sister. I had the distinct feeling there was something sordid going down between Anne and Eric, though her thoughts weren't explicit. I clenched my jaw, wondering if there was anybody he wasn't freaking sleeping with, coming back to the conversation in time to hear Anne ask us to sit down.

I allowed Eric to usher me into a chair. As I sat down, he leaned close and whispered in a voice no human in the room heard. "I expect you to explain yourself when we leave."

I felt a little flutter of panic at the deadly tone of his voice and a line from a movie suddenly popped into my head.

_'Help me Jesus! Help me Jewish God! Help me Allah! AAAAAHHH! Help me Tom Cruise! Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft on me to get the Viking off me!'_

**A/N Any guesses as to which movie I watched this afternoon? LOL I know that was kind of goofy but thought it was hilarious! The Swedish is from and the phrase "Heliga bevar mig" is "Saints preserve me" (oh god was 'oh gud' and I wanted something a little more intricate). The thoughts of Eric's that she repeats are: "What a conniving bitch. I should have known she would try to pull a trick like this. I cannot believe we did not prepare the girl. I need to think of something to say, I have to do something to cover this. I wonder if I could glamour them both at the same time.." Also, disclaimer, I obviously have no idea what Henry and Anne really looked like, so I decided to make them attractive. Google image search/paintings from the period disagree. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**


	6. In Which I Get My Grub On

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, had a busy couple of days plus I'm struggling a bit with getting this first night wrapped up. Also, I'm trying to keep in character, but with the obscene amount of FF I've ingested in the past couple of weeks, I really need to reread the books to remember exactly what in character is :-/ Hope you all like this, and I am shooting for another update tomorrow (hopefully with some more action). Please let me know what you think! Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff.**

I sat in what I hoped was a demure and ladylike pose, listening to the conversation around me. The fact that we were seated on the dais with Anne and the King was an honor not lost on me, although most of what they were discussing was. Since I wasn't really interested in figuring it out, I started to review what I wanted to say to Eric. I knew that he was not best pleased by my insight to his mind, and so I was trying to think of how best to deflect his ire. I remembered that one of the things that had ensured my relative safety when I'd been human was the fact that I could not hear vampires thoughts. Of course, when Eric had made me vampire, that had changed. However, I had been changed by him and he was a very old, very powerful vampire. Being under his protection was a big plus. Ironically, I was now frantically attempting to think of ways to protect myself from that same vampire.

On an impulse, I tried to push my feelings of unease toward him, via our bond. I kept a close eye on him while I did this, but he seemed unperturbed. I thought for a moment, wondering how it would be possible that he couldn't feel my emotions. Even before he had turned me, he had been closely attuned to my every mood via the blood bond we'd had. Was it possible that he couldn't feel me because in this time, he had not yet tasted my blood? I decided not to rule anything out just yet. I mean, had I been asked yesterday, I would have said that time travel was impossible. Best to keep an open mind.

In addition to worrying about how I was going to explain myself, I was getting hungrier by the minute. In my short experience as a vampire, I knew it wasn't wise to let myself get to the danger zone. I needed to find someone soon. I started scanning the room when I remembered with a shock that things were a lot different now. In my own time, I didn't have to hide what I was. We were out in the open and there were people everywhere who were tripping over themselves to cater to our 'needs'. Granted, things had shaken up since the whole Russell Edgington thing, but there were still plenty of people fascinated with us. I personally found it a little sad to feed from the fang bangers that hung around Fangtasia and places like it, and tried to do it only when I had no other choice. Usually, Eric and I would go together to The Wet Bar, a new place in Shreveport that catered exclusively to vampires. They had a license to employ human donors and it had a fun night club theme. I know it sounds sort of skeezy but it was actually pretty cool. Since we'd been traveling, though, I'd taken to glamouring unsuspecting people. I wasn't completely comfortable with foreign views on vampires and preferred to be discreet.

I began scanning the room, very subtly, while trying to appear interested in whatever it was Eric and Godric were talking about with Anne and Henry. Luckily, I wasn't included being actively included in their discussion. Hopefully because they thought I couldn't speak their language, but probably because they thought I was a simpleton. Either way was fine with me. I noticed that a lot of the people were paired up in some sort of dance, spinning and marching to the music coming out of a small ensemble near the large doors leading outside. People were lazily drifting in and out of those doors and I could smell a lovely array of flowers wafting in from outside. I decided that once I found my target, I would lure him outside and try to get him alone in the gardens. Of course it would be a him, not only because men were more susceptible to my lady charms, but also because I couldn't help noticing that most of the women had layered white powder on their faces and necks. It smelled weird to me, and I fleetingly remembered something about lead or arsenic or something like that being used in cosmetics back in the day. I couldn't remember when or what country that had happened in, but I didn't want to get a nasty taste in my mouth if I didn't have to. So, I was looking for a man.

I decided to lower my shields to help me find one, thinking that it wouldn't be too hard to pick one out that was thinking about the strange woman on the dais. I found him relatively quickly. He was handsome, well dressed, and found me greatly intriguing. When I'd first been turned, I had learned some tricks of the trade from Pam; flirting, being coy, attracting a human man. Things that she was disgusted to find that I didn't know already. Eric was highly amused when she began teaching me, which annoyed the shit out of me. After I'd learned my lessons, though, he wasn't so amused anymore. He'd cancelled the lessons, saying that I had sufficient charms without Pam's tutelage. Then Pam and I were amused, which annoyed the shit out of him. Circle of life.

Anyway, I put my game face on so I could lure the man in. My plan was pretty basic. I continued to pay attention to the conversation around me while keeping my mental ear on the guy. Whenever I cold hear his thoughts appraising me, I would glance casually over at him and make eye contact. The first time that I looked directly at him, he flushed and glanced away. I discreetly flared my nostrils, trying instinctually to catch his scent as the blood pooled in his cheeks. He became a bit bolder as he began to think I was interested in him also, since every time he looked at me, I happened to look over at him as well. The last time I looked at him, his grey eyes met mine and I gave him flirty little smile before cutting my eyes back over toward Anne. Godric caught my gaze and I very slowly shrugged my right shoulder, giving him an apologetic look. He quirked a corner of his mouth up and bowed his head slightly. I took that silent conversation like this:

_Godric: Whatchu thinkin' 'bout, Willis?_

_Me: Eh, you know how, sucking blood and whatnot._

_Godric: Do your thing. But don't eff around because my super hot Viking progeny will turn you into a huge steaming pile of vampire goo if you try to do us dirty._

Ok, maybe I was a little paranoid. There was definitely nothing menacing in his gesture (and certainly nothing to make me think that he had some kind of prescient knowledge of Gary Coleman's future existence), but I couldn't really forget that I was completely at their mercy. I concluded that a full stomach would help me deal with the situation better, and decided not to delay any longer. The next time there was a lull, I cleared my throat.

" I would like to touch the, er, thine air to half my hands," I said, trying to stay in character with my earlier idiotic sounding dialogue. Eric tensed up, but relaxed when he noticed Godric stifling a smile. Anne looked at me, smiling kindly.

"Of course, my dear. I do hope you find the gardens to your liking. Eric, perhaps you would like to accompany your dear sister?" she asked, seemingly without guile.

"Scalawag!" I protested, remembering only after I said it that maybe something like 'poppycock' would have been closer to what I meant. "Have him to here for thee and thine," I gestured weirdly toward Anne and the King. It was so hard to keep a straight face. "Am from Sweden," I pounded my chest with my fist, looking sarcastically at Eric. "Am strong."

Godric looked down at his lap, presumably stifling laughter, while Anne and Henry looked politely confused. I glanced to my right to find a decidedly amused Eric. My chest squeezed, seeing the familiar look on his face, and I stopped myself from reaching my hand over to him.

"Yes, we Swedes are sturdy individuals," he added. "My sister will be fine in the gardens alone, I assure you."

Our hosts nodded and I stood up, fluffing out my skirts. I glanced over at my intended prey, who was looking at me. I gave him a sultry stare and heard his heart stutter before his cheeks flushed again, then looked back over to my company. I executed another Sookie Special, which was how I was going to refer to my idiotic curtsey/roundhouse-kick bows until someone decided to teach me better, then began walking toward the open doors. I nodded politely to people I passed on my way, making sure to lock eyes with the grey eyed man again on my way out.

The gardens were truly impressive. There were plants of all kinds arranged along the foot paths. Behind the flower gardens were huge high walls of hedges, cut into shapely rectangles, affording the garden a maze-like appearance. The curving path was lit with high torches affixed to marble holders every so often and I found the whole thing to be pretty charming. I wandered slowly down the path, enjoying the flower scented air. I'd only made it a few yards when I heard the man behind me. I pretended to be absorbed with the flowers, not noticing his presence.

"Excuse me, miss," he said, really close to my ear. I faked a squeal of surprise and spun around to face him. He smiled charmingly. "Forgive me, I did not mean to surprise you," he said, gently touching my elbow. I smiled back at him and fluttered my hand in front of my face in a fanning motion.

"It's quite all right, I'm afraid I am a little out of sorts, being so far away from home," I told him, deciding to drop the 'tard act since I'd planned on glamouring the shit out of this guy in a little while anyway. I didn't want him to get suspicious, though, so I tried to use phrasing out of my romance novels as much as I could. "You can call me Sookie," I said, momentarily forgetting my fake name.

"Sookie? That's an eccentric name," he said flirtatiously, walking beside me. I smiled again.

"It's a family nickname. I assure you my given name is even more eccentric," I laughed coquettishly. "I'm from Sweden, you see."

"Ah, a relation of the esteemed Mr. Northman?" he asked, interested. I nodded.

"Yes, Eric is my older brother," I told him, probing into his mind to see what he thought of that. He seemed impressed. He liked Eric, though he wasn't certain why Anne was so interested in him. He wasn't sure that they were having an affair, not because he thought Eric was opposed, but because he thought Anne was too smart to jeopardize her chances with Henry. I was annoyed that Eric's reputation for being a play boy was so well known, but tried to suppress that for the moment. I mean, there I was on my first night in the palace, walking unattended with a man I'd never met. By the standards of the time, I was coming across as pretty 'loose' myself.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sookie. My name is Charles Brandon," he said, deciding in his mind to leave off his title, which was Duke of Suffolk. I was surprised to realize that while he was very close with the king, he was not inclined to use the association to impress the ladies.

"Well I am likewise pleased to meet you, Mr. Brandon," I told him.

"What brings you to England? I was under the impression that Northman's family was in Spain, operating an export business?" His tone was conversational. I could hear that he was pleased that I had shown an interest in him over the others that were present that evening.

"Yes, that is correct. However, my dear mother seems to believe it is well past time that I find a suitable match, and so she sent me here to Eric's capable hands," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes but giving him a small smile. He laughed indulgently.

"Ah, I see. No suitors in Spain, I take it?"

"Oh plenty of them, just none that my father found suitable," I quipped back. I looked around, discreetly, deciding that we'd gone far enough away from the palace. I just needed to somehow steer us into one of the alcoves, away from where we might be seen.

"It's hard to decide which are worse at times, mothers or fathers," he commiserated with me.

"What about you, Mr. Brandon? Are you married?" I asked, trying to think of a quick diversion.

"I'm not," he responded shortly. I dipped into his head, curious about his quick answer, to find that his wife, Mary, had died earlier that year. I nearly told him I was sorry for his loss, before realizing that he hadn't actually told me about it. I decided then was the perfect time for my diversion. I twisted my foot, stumbling on purpose, and latched onto his arm. He supported my instantly, as I exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened," I said, limping for effect.

"Don't be silly, there's no need to apologize," he told me, ushering me toward the marble bench I'd spotted moments before, nestled near the wall of hedges. I allowed him to situate me onto the bench, and reached down, rubbing my ankle as he sat beside me.

"These slippers will be the death of me, I swear it," I told him ruefully. He chuckled and I decided to cut to the chase, looking up at him and locking eyes. I sent my influence into his mind, speaking softly and slowly.

"I need your assistance, Mr. Brandon," I was pleased when he nodded slowly, under my spell. "This will only take a few moments, and it won't hurt at all," I assured him, leaning in. He was very compliant, allowing me to manipulate his head to the side, baring his neck to me. I listened carefully, not hearing anyone near us, before I dropped my fangs. The feeling was divine, something I associated with a big old morning stretch. You didn't realize you needed to do until you did it. I carefully bit into his neck, delighting in the hot rush of his blood. I stayed aware of his heartbeat, realizing with disappointment after w few minutes that it began to slow all too soon for my liking.

Just as I was about to disengage, I became aware of another presence. I looked up sharply to see Eric standing a few yards off, staring intently at me. I pulled away from the man's neck, licking blood from my bottom lip. Eric's fangs descended and his eyes were practically glittering in the dark. I could feel the desire rolling off of him for the second time that night, and reveled in it. I knew from experience that it was a very erotic thing for me to watch him feed after I'd been turned. I kept my gaze locked on his as I sealed the wounds on the mans neck and turned his face to mine. Finally, I had to break Eric's gaze in order to send my influence over the man once more.

"We had a lovely walk, Mr. Brandon," I said softly. He nodded again, dazed. "I had a truly lovely time, but I grew fatigued just when my brother happened upon us. He will escort me home and you will remember that we had a lovely chat and that everything was very proper," I told him. He nodded. I heard Eric's fangs retract.

"Of course, Sookie," he said, smiling again. I smiled back.

"Very well," I said, standing up. "Will you take me now, Eric?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I would love to," he answered in his signature sexy voice. I smothered the impulse to rip my clothes off and jump on him.

"Thank you, brother," I said, pointedly reminding him of our ruse. He smirked and held his arm out me. I walked over and he tucked my hand firmly into the crook of his elbow.

"Good night, Brandon," he said, nodding.

"Northman," he responded cordially. We began walking back toward the palace, companionably quiet. When we were out of earshot, he broke the silence.

"I have no reason as yet to doubt the claims you've made. Some things that you said are known only to Godric and myself. I must say, I find myself intrigued by you, Sookie. You are entertaining. You are obviously gorgeous. You are undoubtedly alluring. I feel some .. connection to you, that I can't seem to explain," he said, softly. He stopped walking just before we reached the doors and looked down into my eyes. "What are you?"

_If only I had a nickel for every time I heard that._

**A/N I know this one was a little lame, but I'm having a hard time with this piece of it. Also, the dates with Charles Brandon don't **_**exactly**_** mesh up, but I'm hoping you can work with me here. More action coming soon! This night has to end eventually, right?**


	7. In Which I Bust My Ass

**Hey all! Thanks for the continued reviews/love. I adore them and love reading your ideas. Also am trying to work them in with the writing as well (Erin1705 I got you on the blood bond thing; coming soon!) Another special thanks to Lady Hlin for sticking with me and Twitter Pimping =) I hope you guys like this one! I know I was off by about an hour and a half but I had to do some YouTubing of ASkars and AHyde after tonights episode hehe. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff.**

"Why whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently, batting my lashes and placing my hand over my heart.

"What I mean is, you apparently have the power to manipulate time and earlier this evening, you were speaking my thoughts. I know you're something more than what you claim, but I don't know exactly what that is," he responded. I could barely resist rolling my eyes.

"I know, I was just kidding. I'll tell you everything I know but I think it would be best if I told you and Godric together, don't you?" I reasoned. He nodded curtly.

"That is likely the best idea," he agreed. "We must get back to our lair, the night is drawing to a close," he looked surreptitiously up at the sky. I glanced up as well, startled by the clarity of the moon and the stars. I noticed that the velvety darkness was beginning to recede as well, and wondered where their 'lair' was. I also thought it was pretty effin' funny that he referred to it as a 'lair' but I decided to let it slide. Until I was able to school him in appreciating the fine art of sarcasm, it wasn't going to be fun to use it against him.

He walked back into the ballroom and nodded to Godric, who was standing near Anne and Henry. He nodded back and apparently said his goodbyes because he started walking through the crowd a moment later. We met him just outside of the room, in the large hall. Luckily, we didn't get caught in any conversation as we made our way out of the castle. I was starting to feel the tug of sleep now that I had realized the night was ending. It wasn't like I was a narcoleptic or anything, but forcing myself to stay awake would result in the bleeds and the bleeds were fuck-awful. I had only gotten them once, when I stubbornly tried to prove to Eric that he wasn't any better than me and I could stay awake as long as I wanted. Turned out that he actually was a little better than me and all I ended up with was blood everywhere, a nasty headache, and a gloating Viking. None of which I'd been very fond of.

I tried to pay attention to where we were going once we left the castle but I have to say, most of the streets looked alike. I was able to differentiate a bit more as we started reaching the outskirts of the city. The streets were a little less crowded and the filth was greatly reduced. We made our way to the edge of the forest again and I realized dimly that they must live in the woods. That would explain why they'd been there in the first place. I hoped like hell they had an actual house, or lair, because they were sadly mistaken if they thought I was gonna crawl my happy ass back in the dirt again tonight. Luckily, I noticed a cottage after a bit more walking through the woods and realized this must be their place. I was slightly confused when we walked past it but realized soon enough why.

They had a little tunnel dug about 10 yards behind the structure. It was covered with a random stone, totally hidden from the casual eye. Eric moved it to the side with the toe of his boot and looked up at me, grinning.

"Don't worry, we have living quarters. Godric had this commissioned some years back. The tunnel leads to our lair. He feels safer knowing that humans are physically incapable of exposing us during the day," he explained. I nodded slowly, trying to figure out what he meant by 'physically incapable'. I wasn't too keen on tight spaces and was starting to get a little uncomfortable, wondering exactly what was down there.

"Don't you?" Godric asked me seriously. I thought for a moment. In my time, I lived with Eric in a gated community that was heavily secured. The house we shared was also secure and guarded with alarms and a state of the art light tight system. Most humans wouldn't be able to figure out how to expose us before nightfall and even if they could, they wouldn't make it into the house in the first place. Now, however, I could understand and appreciate Godric's precautions.

"Of course," I agreed, deciding I would just trust Godric's judgement on basically everything I could. You didn't get to be old as dirt by being careless and I quickly calculated that he was somewhere around 1,500 years old at this time. He nodded at me, pleased with my acquiesce.

"I'm afraid getting in is a bit uncomfortable, but once inside it's quite spacious," he told me, relieving my fears of sleeping in a cubby hole. "Eric, why don't you lead the way? Sookie can follow and I'll enter last, closing up behind us."

Eric immediately got to his knees, opening an iron latch on the ground and sliding what appeared to be a trap door to the side. I raised my eyebrows, impressed by the craftsmanship. He slid his feet down in and a moment later, disappeared altogether. I stared down the hole after him, then looked up at Godric, slightly freaked out. He smiled at me and I was again taken with how charming his face was. His teeth were adorably imperfect; a tiny gap between his front teeth, his canines noticeably longer than the rest. He had these lovely smile lines that framed his mouth and looking at him gave me a serious warm fuzzy at that moment. I felt myself smiling back at him.

"I promise, you'll be perfectly safe," he told me. His voice sounded very sincere but I reminded myself in the back of my mind that he was ruthless. I remembered stories that Eric had told me of them decimating entire villages, coldblooded murders they'd committed, how they'd turned it into a game at times. I couldn't act like I was above them; I understood the instinct now. It really was our nature to treat humans as food and nothing more. Obviously that's not all we did, or else humans would've been extinct. However, I could see how in a more primal time, that instinct might overpower any lingering human nature. What I needed to remember was this: the only things that were important to Godric were himself and Eric.

I nodded at him and slowly lowered myself into the hole.

I was surprised to see that there was a rude sort of ladder inserted along the side of the tunnel. Every few feet there were iron semicircles for hand or footholds. I carefully made my way down about eight feet before I found the floor. I looked around, realizing I would have to flatten myself and crawl through another portion of tunnel. There was another trap door partitioning this section off as well. Eric had already opened it, and I noticed as I shimmied down that there were locks on the inside of it. I realized that's what they'd meant about humans not being able to expose them. No one could easily get through this tunnel once we were retired for the day. If they did, they would have made sufficient noise that Godric, at his age, would be roused by the time they got through and then they'd wish to hell they hadn't. I realized I actually did feel much safer knowing that. I could do without crawling through the dirt but I would live.

The last section was only about eight feet long as well and when I crawled out, I noticed Eric had lit some lamps in the main room. It was much larger than I had expected, and it even had furniture in it. There was an ornate wooden table with chairs, two padded parlor chairs in the corners, and a thick carpet n the ground. I looked around, taking this all in, then looked at Eric questioningly. He chuckled.

"The cottage is directly above us. We dug this lair out under it, leaving a large portion open so that we could bring these items down easily. The foundation of the cottage is our ceiling. We built it once everything was to our liking here," he explained. I raised my eyebrows, impressed at the planning that had gone into this. "There is a sleeping chamber through here," he said, turning through the only doorway in the room. I followed him into the room, noticing that the walls were finished, and not packed dirt as I'd expected. The bedchamber was another surprise, thick carpets on the floor in there as well, along with a huge bed made of sturdy, polished wood, and covered in ornate tapestry-like coverings. The colors were mainly golds and rusty looking reds and oranges. There were two ornate wardrobes, one on each side of the room, made from the same wood as the bed.

Against the wall opposite the bed, there was a dressing table, complete with a washbasin and pitcher. Where the water came from was anybody's guess, but it was full. There was a mirror hanging on the wall above the stand, and I thought this must be where they got ready before leaving. I realized with a sick twist that there would be no hot showers or baths and had the strangest urge to cry at that. Of course. I get hurtled back in time for no apparent reason, where I am without my family, loved ones, clothes, car, smart phone (Apple had come out with a vamp-friendly iPhone only a couple of months ago and I finally decided to stop being a super-douche and join the twenty-first century, so I got one), and any of the other countless amenities of my time. Plus, I was at the mercy of a huge, menacing Viking vampire and his smaller, more heinous and ancient maker, and the thing that threatens tears is a bubble bath? I seriously needed to get my priorities straight.

I heard Godric in the main room as I continued to look around in the bedroom. It took me a minute, but I finally realized that there was only one bed. I didn't think that was weird in the least. I knew that Eric and Godric had been very close, and I also knew that families in this time (or somewhere around this time) typically slept everyone in the same bed. What I did wonder about was where exactly I was going to sleep. After a moment, I realized they probably assumed I'd sleep with them and I decided that was fine with me. I was not going to be weird about this. I'd spent enough of my human life agonizing over irrelevant details, whining about stupid shit, and creating awkward situations that were not called for out of my own stupidity, that once I was turned I had decided to pull my big girl panties up and stop sweating the small stuff. If I had to sleep in a bed with two smoking hot vampires, well, I would just have to take one for the team.

"This is a really nice home," I complimented Eric. He smiled at me and I again wanted to throw myself at him. It was just too weird that he was not my Eric, but I'd have to get used it.

"Thank you," he said in a genuine tone. Godric walked into the room at that point.

"It is small, but we enjoy having a place where we can be relaxed. I'm afraid that we only have one bed, but you are more than welcome to sleep with us, if you desire," he told me, unbuttoning his shirt as walked toward the wardrobe on the right side of the room.

'_Oh, I desire.'_ I thought wickedly before mentally slapping myself back to my senses. What the hell? That was Eric's maker! I wasn't going to sweat the small stuff but I needed to reign in the hormones here. I could only imagine if there was some sort of All Human Alternate Universe out there somewhere; Me being attracted to Eric's maker would be sort of like having the hots for my own granddaddy and definitely land us all on a _Jerry Springer _episode. Of course, that would also mean that Eric was my daddy, and I didn't want to touch that thought with a ten foot pole. I shook myself out of it.

"Sure, that's fine with me," I said to the room at large, realizing that they were both disrobing in front of their respective wardrobes. I almost went into a mental meltdown, at first trying not to look at either one of them, then trying to look at Eric but being discreet about it, then trying to peel my eyes off of Godric, and finally just flitting into the main room to sit my perv-ass down at the table until they got into whatever they wore as pajamas. I sat there for about two minutes, trying to calm myself down, before curiosity got the better of me and I leaned carefully back in my chair, wanting one last glimpse of Eric.

I tilted back until I could finally see him, totally shirtless, leaning forward into the wardrobe. His beautiful abs were contracted and I was torn between staring at them them or the arm porn on clear display as he reached inside of the cabinet. He pulled something out and straightened up, then started unbuckling his pants. I couldn't help the drool at the corner of my mouth; Eric is a hot son of a bitch, regardless of what century he's in. I thought briefly about him calling that hooker 'lover' earlier tonight and the weird vibe I'd gotten with Anne, but decided I honestly couldn't hold that against him. It was 500 years before he'd meet me and I knew without the shadow of a doubt that he'd gotten around in his time. Hell, I'd been thankful on more than one occasion for the centuries of experience he'd had. I decided that I could try to be objective about it. Which was a lot easier to say when he wasn't actively groping another woman.

He bent down, pulling the pants down as he went. When he stood back up, I leaned out a tad further, trying to see a little bit more. He looked directly at me a second later, raising an eyebrow and giving me a sexy smirk. I panicked, which resulted in tipping the chair all the way over and squealing like a stuck hog as I landed on my back in the middle of the floor. I almost wished a piece of the chair would have broken, turned into a makeshift stake, and flown directly into my heart, effectively killing my simpleton ass so that I wouldn't have to die of embarrassment. Because surely, that's what I was about to do. I stayed still for a second, staring at the ceiling, soaking in the fact that I really just did that, before I hoisted myself up. I brushed out my skirts, hoping like hell they would pretend not to have noticed, though of course they both obviously would have heard that. It had made a pretty loud commotion and since there were only the three of us there, I couldn't really blame it on anybody else. Not to mention the fact that Eric, at least, had seen it with his own eyes.

When I looked up, they were both standing in the doorway to the bedroom, shirtless, staring at me. It was clear that they were having a hard time fighting back laughter, which only flustered me more. I pointed at the chair, really trying to muster something up about faulty craftsmanship, or uneven floors, before I busted out laughing. I mean seriously, what the fuck was I gonna say about this that wouldn't just add to my idiocy? After about two seconds, they joined me, laughing their asses off. I'd of course seen Eric laugh before, but I was taken aback seeing Godric cracking up like that. After a few minutes, we sobered up a bit, and I had to wipe bloody tears out of my eyes.

"If we could just not ever mention that, like, for the rest of eternity, I would be grateful," I told them, still trying to fight the laughter back. "Because I really feel like a total douche."

"What's a douche?" Eric asked, laughter lacing his words. Duh.

"Uh, it's a word we use in the future to describe a fool," I said, figuring that was a good enough explanation. They both nodded their understanding. I noticed Eric take a breath and his face suddenly became very serious. I got a sick feeling in my stomach, realizing he'd smelled my blood. It had changed when I'd turned and thankfully it was no longer irresistible or intoxicating to my kind, but it was definitely different. Godric, too, was standing very still. I could see by his face that he had an idea of what I was, though Eric hadn't made the connection.

"Smell me, huh?" I asked sheepishly. When neither of them moved, I decided to bite the bullet. "Do either of you know Niall Brigant?" I knew damn well Eric had known him for centuries when I'd first met him, but I didn't know how many, exactly.

"Yes," Godric answered in a low tone. I took a breath.

"He's my great grandfather," I told them quietly, really hoping they had a good relationship. Eric slowly turned his head to look down at Godric, who significantly looked back at him.

_Well, shit._

**A/N Ok so the next chapter ends this night, I promise! And I didn't forget about the lemons (Oh Lord, how could I ever forget those?) so stay tuned for 'em. Anybody else love drunk Eric on tonight's new episode? Or get pre-teen excited by the clip of Godric for next week? Gahh… Hope you liked this chapter and continue to soldier on with me!**


	8. In Which I Sympathize With A Killer

**Hey guys! I planned to have this out earlier today but had a little tike bday bash and a whole lotta research that I didn't anticipate for this chapter. Weirdly enough, a good bit of the research was on the SVM books as I found my memory totally glamoured away in regards to the fairies (so if anything doesn't jive, let me know please). I apparently only retain things I like from books, which explains why basically all I can remember is Eric and Pam =) Thanks again for reviewing/giving me ideas/riding the crazy train with me. I really hope you guys like this one, it's kinda long. Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff.**

A really tense, really awkward moment passed before they finally broke their silent communication and looked over at me. I was sorely tempted to look at my wrist, exclaim at the late hour and tell them I really had to be on my way. Instead, I waited to hear what they had to say. I couldn't read anything out of their expressions, which was a little scary. I kept cutting my eyes from one to the other, and just when I was starting to reconsider the 'Oh my! Look at the time!' plan, Godric spoke.

"Niall lives? In the time you came to us from?" he asked, a slight crease in his brow. I squinted my eyes, wondering why he chose to ask that out of the million other questions they both had to have.

"Yes, he actually contacted Eric to arrange to meet me. Eric took me himself to a restaurant, where Niall revealed my true identity to me. His son, Fintan, had two children with my grandmother, Adele. One of them was my father. Because of Fairy politics, Niall was not able to contact me until then," I explained, not wanting to give too many details if I didn't have to.

"What Fairy politics?" Eric asked, cutting to the core of the matter. I pursed my lips, wondering how to explain the little I knew.

"Well, I know that Niall's nephew, Breandan, was trying to overthrow him and also kill all human-fairy hybrids. He detested everything human, and that's where he and Niall ran into their biggest problem. Niall also believed his son, Dermot, to be against him, but really he was under a spell and not evil after all. Niall won, but decided he posed too much of a danger to me to stay in my life, so he sealed the portal between Fae and our world to prevent any more harm to me and I haven't seen him since," I answered, realizing it wasn't much of an answer at all.

"What do you mean 'any more harm'? What happened to you?" Godric immediately asked.

"Well, I was a popular target for those against Niall. Despite Neave and Lochlan's best efforts, I lived," I couldn't help shuddering as I remembered the torture they'd put me through before Bill and Niall had gotten there. I also couldn't help noticing that both Eric and Godric's eyes narrowed at those names. Clearly, they'd met.

"How did you survive?" Godric asked. "Pardon me, but Neave and Lochlan are known for their ruthless nature." Shocker.

"Niall and a close vampire friend of mine got there just before they finished me off," I gritted my teeth and looked at Eric, remembering that he wasn't there and how confused I had been at first. "You were detained, you couldn't come save me." I closed my eyes briefly, remembering in vivid detail when he'd told me how much it hurt him not being able to help me.

"_While you were with Neave and Lochlan, I suffered with you," he said, meeting my eyes directly._

_The emotion that blazed in the blue fire of his eyes was painful to see._

"_I hurt with you. I bled with you—not only because we're bonded, but because of the love I have for you."_

I sighed softly, trying to breathe out the ache that I felt in my chest. I really, _really_ missed him and I'd only been away from him for one night. I needed to figure out what was going on here so I could get back to where I belonged. When I opened my eyes, Eric was waiting patiently for me to continue speaking. Godric, on the other hand, was hardcore staring at me. It was a little creepy. I shrugged, deciding to finish my tale of woe.

"My cousin Claudine was killed in the process, leaving Claude the last surviving triplet. He stayed behind when Niall left and sealed Fae off. He and Dermot eventually moved into my place. That's about it," I said, really not feeling like delving into Colman.

"You speak the truth," Godric stated, eyes still intent on my face.

"Yep. Yep, I do," I said with a twinge of sadness. "Trust me, if I could have changed all that, I would have."

_Wait a minute. _Is that why I'm here? Am I supposed to change that whole mess? I thought for a minute, trying to remember how old Claude and Claudine were. I knew Niall was around, but I couldn't remember if I'd even known the twins' actual age. But how the hell could I change any of that without changing everything? Sure, I would happily skip meeting Bill and all his bullshit, but Eric was my destiny. I knew that like I knew the sky was blue, it was just a fact. How could I change one thing, or anything, without possibly changing my future with him? Had I already changed it? Shit, was I turning my life into something like that Eric Bana movie with the time traveling? Was Eric going to know me now before I knew him? My head was spinning and I seriously needed to calm the eff down.

"I really need to go to sleep," I admitted, tiredly brushing a strand of hair away from my face. I had a million questions of my own, but I needed to get to bed.

"Of course," Eric responded immediately. He turned back into the bedroom, motioning me to follow. "Forgive us, we are not used to feeling the pull of the sun as keenly as one your age."

I walked toward the doorway, noticing that Godric was still studying my face. He gave me a small smile when he saw me look at him, which I returned warily. I wasn't sure what was up with him turning into Creepy McCreeperston all the sudden but I wasn't a big fan. When I got into the bedroom, Eric was holding a linen potato sack out to me. I grimaced when I realized that must be some sort of nightgown, but figured it would be a hell of a lot more comfortable to sleep in than the dress I had on.

I took it from him, nodding my thanks, and he retreated to the door. I cleared my throat, realizing I had no idea how to get out of this dress. I figured if anybody in the world knew how to get one of these things off, it would be the blonde Don Juan walking away from me. "Um, Eric?"

"Yes?" He turned his head, one eyebrow raised curiously.

"Could you help me get out of this dress?" I asked, squinting one eye uncertainly. He flashed his bad boy smile at me and turned back into the room immediately.

"I thought you'd never ask," his voice was like velvet but the words were so Typical Eric that I had to snort out a laugh. I turned my back toward him so he could reach the ties.

"If you can just get it untied, I can take it off myself," I told him, wanting to be clear. I heard him make a 'tsk' kinda sound and felt him pulling on the laces.

"As you wish," he sounded martyred and I had to roll my eyes. After a few minutes of tugging and pulling, I felt the heavy outer dress sagging down. He immediately began work on the corset laces. "We'll figure this out, you don't need to fret about it," he said softly behind me. I felt a sudden lump in my throat at his words, and blinked my eyes rapidly a few times.

"I know," I answered, clearing my throat again. We basically _had_ to figure something out, eventually. I was just worried about how long it would take us. I couldn't imagine being away from Eric for much longer. _My Eric_, that is. "You're probably losing your mind with worry right now. In the future, I mean."

His hands stopped for the briefest of moments and I'd have loved to see his face right then. He recovered quickly, and a moment later I felt the greatest sense of relief as those laces came loose as well. His hand brushed against my bare neck, sending goosebumps racing down my back.

"I'd be a fool not to," he whispered against my ear. I could feel his breath against my skin and had to repress the shudder that threatened to shake my body. My breath hitched for a second, but I recovered quickly. I turned to give him some sass but he was no longer behind me. He had zipped into the other room, and I exhaled a deep breath. He was essentially Eric, but technically I'd met him only hours before. I didn't know how I felt about jumping into bed with him right off the bat. I mean, I knew how I _felt_ about it (tingly, excited, rip roaring' ready to go) but I didn't know how I _felt _about it. Would it be cheating? Technically? If I slept with him off that bat, would he respect me like he should? I know that sounded stupid, but I also knew a big part of his initial attraction to me was my resistance. Did I really want to sleep with him? Or did I want to sleep with him because I knew how much he would mean to me, 500 years down the road?

I shook my head, really wishing I had a Magic 8 Ball to help me out with some of this. I let the dress slide down and stepped out of it, stretching my back out and turning from side to side. I grimaced when I saw the marks left on my skin from the stupid girdle. Or corset or whatever the eff that torture device was called. I shook out the nightgown Eric had handed me, not wanting to know where the hell he'd gotten it. It was really soft, though, and looked pretty comfortable, so I wasn't going to worry too much about it. I pulled it on over my head and sat down on the edge of their bed. As I started pulling the pins out of my hair, I was nearly overcome with wanting Eric there yet again. I tried not to think about it as I pulled pin after pin out, softly scratching my scalp intermittently. Mrs. Cotillard had really done a good job. I reached up to pull another pin out and felt another hand bump mine. I turned my head sharply to see Godric standing behind me. He smiled, a little awkwardly.

"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing toward my hair. I shook my head, slightly thrown off by his offer. I turned my head back away from him and felt him gently pulling pins out. "Many, many years ago, I had a younger sister. I used to help my mother with her when I was a very small boy, and dressing her hair was one of the things I enjoyed doing. Of course, I used to complain and go on about it, to keep up my reputation," he said, chuckling. "But I actually found it very soothing. Times were much different then; we were always scared. I found that when I focused my attention on Leefa's hair, I forgot to be afraid," his voice was wistful and I was shocked that he was telling me these things. I floundered for something to say as he continued to take my hair down.

"Her name was Leefa?" I asked, hoping that wasn't too intrusive.

"Godelieve, actually. It means 'loved by the gods'. She thought it sounded too much like my name, so she preferred Leefa," I would swear he was smiling. I had the strangest feeling of vertigo, trying to figure out why the hell he was telling me this, or helping me with my hair. I knew that when I met him, in 500 years, he would be reformed and repentant. However, based on Eric's stories, he should be far from that now. He let a section of hair down and it brushed against my neck, causing me to shiver for the second time that night. I cleared my throat.

"What happened to her? Do you know?" I asked, not sure at exactly what age he'd been turned, or what the customs of his people were. He may have been off and married while she was still a child, for all I knew.

"When I was nine years old, my people were overtaken. We were Thracians, but have been called Dacians, Getae, Visigoths, it doesn't really matter. We were conquered by Romans, of course. They owned the whole world at that time. The soldiers who burned my village to the ground took me as a slave, killed my father and raped and murdered my mother and sister. Leefa was six years old," his voice was now detached, like he was reading from a history book. "Loved by the gods, indeed."

I mentally cringed for asking in the first place. What the eff was I thinking? I should have known it would be something horrible like that. I could seriously punch myself in the throat sometimes.

"I was taken back to Rome, though I nearly didn't live through the journey. When finally we made it, I was of course sold. I was a pretty child, and despite my tattoos, I was purchased by a wealthy bachelor named Romulus almost immediately. He treated me like a son in some respects. I was educated, well fed, healthy. His temper, though, was mercurial. I was abused according to his whims, I never knew what to expect. I grew jaded, at a young age. I believed I should be out fighting a war as I'd been trained by my father to do. Instead, I waited on this twisted man hand and foot. I was little better than a castrato, in my own mind," he had pulled all of the pins out and was running his fingers through the length of my hair. I could feel my head lolling back into his hands and fought my eyelids to stay open; I hated the bleeds but I felt like I needed to hear the end of his story.

"I could tell you horrifying tales of the 'parties' he would hold, the guests he would invite to his home, and the role I played in entertaining them. But that's not something to be discussed with a lady. Suffice it to say that I was very bitter after years of this treatment. Then one day, a man named Remus, of all things, came whirling in like a wind and killed Romulus before my very eyes. I was stunned, and scared. Even after all of that, the years of helplessness, the impotent feeling that had been ingrained in my personality, I still wanted to live. I actually fought against the man, which he found quite charming. He was vampire, of course. He was my Maker," he said, his voice trailing off to a whisper. My heart squeezed as I processed the things he'd told me and I felt a fierce desire to protect him. Which was silly, of course. For all I knew, he was the most formidable creature on the planet.

"I tell you this because I believe the time you come from is much different than the time we are in. I imagine you will see some things that you will wish you hadn't, probably you will do some things you will wish you hadn't. I want you to know that we don't always get to choose what we must do. I was bitter nearly my entire human life." I was seriously fading here, his voice getting quieter as I began to fall asleep. "I raged against the gods for my fate and the fate of my family. And then Remus came, and made me like him. And we _were_ gods. And so are you, my child. You shape destiny now, you no longer need to fear it."

_Enter Sandman._

**A/N Ok, so I did a shit ton of research trying to figure out where the eff Godric was from. The theory above (that he was Thracian aka Getae; commonly lumped in with Dacians and sometimes called Visigoths; it changes with every website I went to) seemed the most likely. I don't know how familiar you guys are with his tattoos (I personally have had to wipe drool off of my computer screen while ogling them) but they all kind of support this: the dragon on his hot ass back, the runes on his gorgeous arm, and the arrowheads around his lovely neck. These all relate to Thracian or Dacian culture, but I went with Thracian since they were, actually, overtaken by Rome. If anybody disagrees, I'm totally cool with that. I want to focus more on the story, but would like to keep it believable/historically correct as much as I can. We can't all be Eri- er, perfect. Hehe =)**

**Also, Godric apparently is an Old English name, and so is Godelieve (according to the one very annoying website I could find with a good selection). It's pronounced **_**go do LEEF**_** so I though Leefa was a good nickname. The reason he says 'a man named Remus, of all things' is that the myth of Rome's creation is centered around twin half-divine brothers, Romulus and Remus. Romulus killed Remus, and founded Rome.**

**Blah. Ok, that's what I did all night. Oh, also it was my youngest nephews birthday today (Tatum - he's three) and my oldest nephew, Cadyn (who is five), requests that I "double the goodness" of my "Dracula story" by adding Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Because "it would be SO cool if they turned into vampires, specially 'cause they could save the world, probably". Those are direct quotes from the man himself. I told him I would run it past you guys, see what you thought. He's eagerly awaiting feedback =) Sorry for the stupid long note here. Hope you all liked this chapter!**


	9. In Which My Uterus Attacks

**Here's a fun little transitional one to get us set up for some action in the next chapter. Hope you like it! Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball own all this stuff.**

I woke up reluctantly and on my stomach. I kept my eyes closed and stretched my neck out, making appreciative noises as I felt my muscles stretch. I felt Eric shift his weight beside me, carefully leaning over my back. I smiled into my pillow, turning my head slightly. He ran his hand down my side, kissing my neck softly. I hummed in the back of my throat as he pulled my knees apart gently. I let him move me and felt him settle between my legs. I could feel his weight on my back, and his erection a little further down. He rocked his hips against me and I automatically pressed my butt back into him.

He slowly kissed my ear, sucking the lobe between his teeth as he slid a hand under my stomach and down to press against my clit. He moved his fingers in a circular motion, pressing firmly against the little bud. Delicious waves tingled through my stomach. I pushed back further, giving him plenty of room to work, and could feel him hard against me. He slid two fingers inside me and I gasped a little, feeling how wet I already was. He growled and removed his hand to pull my waist up roughly. I growled back, feeling him hard against my opening, and his hands tightened on my hips. I rubbed back against him, eager to let him in, and lifted myself up on to my hands, going on to all fours. Then I finally opened my eyes.

And saw that we were not in our bed.

And then I realized which bed we were in.

And then I remembered the whole horrible shit-storm from the night before.

And then I realized who I was about to relieve my evening wood with. And then I squealed; loudly.

"What is it, lover?" he asked, his voice ragged. And then I remembered the hooker from the night before. And despite my vow not to be pissed at him, since it wasn't _really_ him, I'll admit I was a little pissed.

"I'm not your _lover," _I spat the word, pulling away from him even though my body wanted nothing more than to stay right where it was. I spun around, pulling the night gown back down around my no-gooders. I looked up at him and my breath caught in my throat.

Eric on any day is a sight to behold. Eric undressed is enough to burn your retinas right out of their sockets. Eric on his knees, stark naked, sporting a full erection and eyes hazed over with lust, will damn near kill you. I damn near died. Oh, what a way to go.

I had a really indecisive few seconds where I was about to say 'Eff it, let's do this!' but then I came to my senses.

"I don't even know you!" I exclaimed.

"You will, we will be lovers. Let's hasten it," he made a good point.

"I can't, it's too weird. Don't you even want to know anything about me?" I asked, my conviction fading.

"I do know things about you," he reasoned. Damn, was he always this rational?

"But, I mean, what about-"

"Sookie, can you look at my face while you're speaking please?" he asked in a teasing voice. I was mortified to realize that my eyes had been glued to 'Little Eric' and sent a silent thank you to the man upstairs that vampires couldn't blush. I tore my gaze away and looked up at his face. The bastard was smirking, and it was so sexy. I tried to think of a safe place on his body to look and realized there was none. He was just too effing hot.

"I can't, it's just too weird! I mean, I want to," I said miserably, willing him to understand. His nostrils flared the tiniest bit.

"I know," he said. Gross. "Give in to the impulse," he said in that velvety voice of his.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I feel really bad. I thought you were _you_ and that's why I was .. responding. I didn't mean to get you all worked up," I glanced down at my lap, ridiculously uncomfortable.

"I _am_ me. And you were calling me, very clearly," he leaned toward me, putting his hands on the bed on either side of me. "In a very compelling voice," he said in a low tone, leaning in farther.

"I was talking in my sleep?" I asked, mortified. I knew that I'd done that on occasion between my 'dead for the day' sleep and fully waking up in what I referred to as my 'transitional sleep'.

"Oh yes," he purred, getting closer to my face each second. I needed to make a choice and I needed to make it quick. I reaffirmed my decision to put this off and inwardly recoiled from the roundhouse kick my extremely angry uterus landed on me.

"Be that as it may," I enunciated each word clearly. "I was dreaming about future you. You know, the one I'm in love with but who is also in love with me back? That's the you I wanted," I told him, staring into his beautiful blue eyes, trying to convince both him and myself that my words were true.

"Very well," he sighed, sitting back and throwing his long legs over the side of the bed. "I don't see what you stand to gain in delaying, though," his tone was flippant as he lowered himself onto the floor. He turned over his shoulder to look directly at me. "You _will _yield to me."

"Oh Jesus H Christ, have you been using the same lines since the tenth century?" I threw my hand up in the air, not sure whether I should laugh or cry. He snorted.

"What do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's about the seventy fifth time I've heard you say that."

"Apparently I was correct then, as I am now," he had a very self-satisfied grin on his face. I looked up at the ceiling.

"Lord save me from pompous vampires," I muttered. I looked back at Eric. "Also, you call me 'lover' all the time. Or at least you did, until I heard you call the hooker 'lover' last night. Now, it's gonna be baby-cakes or sugar-pie or darling or toots for all I care. But lover, it is no more," I said ominously. He quirked a corner of his mouth up and raised an eyebrow.

"When you say 'hooker', I assume you're referring to Nell?"

"I assume you're referring to Nell?" I mocked in a nasally voice and could have punched myself when I saw the satisfied look on his face. "Yes, I am."

He chuckled. "So you're possessive of me? In the future?" I squinted my eyes, remembering the whole Queen of Arkansas debacle and how I'd fought for him tooth and nail.

"I guess you could you say that," I allowed.

"Mmmmmm," he hummed. "I see."

"Where is Godric?" I asked, suddenly remembering that he'd been there the night before and ridiculously thankful for the topic-changer. I recalled the story he'd told me of his human life, and struggled to remember the last thing he'd told me before I fell asleep. Eric was rummaging through his wardrobe, apparently finding clothes for the night. Thank God! I really didn't know how much longer I'd be able to contain myself with that butt of his staring me down like that.

"He's gone out to procure some suitable garments for you and also a meal for the night," he told me without turning around. He pulled a dark pair of pants from the drawer. "He wishes for us to stay in tonight. He says he would like to try something."

Ok, that was scary.

"Did he say what?" I asked nervously. He finished pulling on the pants (breeches?) and turned to face me.

"He would like us to exchange blood. He seems to think if we bond, I may remember you," he said seriously, watching for my reaction.

"How could you remember me? I'm from the future," I said slowly, trying to see an angle I may have missed.

"He thinks my blood will recognize your blood, since it's made of my blood to begin with with," he was clearly repeating what Godric had told him and didn't look convinced. Hm. "I believe there is more that he would like to do, but that is all he shared with me," he said, spinning back around to rifle through his clothes once more.

"So what if your blood does recognize me? How will that help us?" I asked. I wasn't especially keen on swapping blood with Eric. A bond between vampires occurs after only one exchange and is much stronger than a vampire-human bond. I would be able to feel all of his emotions, find him wherever he was, and even feel his thoughts. And vice versa.

"I'm not entirely certain, though he has some insight. Apparently he has been intrigued by the topic of transcending the ages for some time. He mentioned a specific discussion he'd had with Marcus Aurelius on the point," he said, pulling a shirt out and slipping into it.

"Marcus Aurelius? Do you realize who he was?" I was flabbergasted and not entirely sure how well records were kept in this time. He slowly turned to face me with a very sardonic look.

"Everyone knows who Marcus Aurelius was," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't be a douche, baby-cakes."

_Smart ass much?_

**A/N Bahaha =) See, it was a little lemony. If not lemonade, maybe like lemon drink? Oh and don't worry, I'm not a fan of Sookie being a resistant 'tard. She absolutely **_**will**_** yield to Mr. Northman, I just thought this point was a tad early. As always, thanks for the reviews! They seriously tickle me pink. Not like a gross pink, more like a nice twinset pink. Pam would definitely rock it, let me tell you that. Hope you liked it!**


	10. In Which I Get My Death Stare On

**Sorry for the delay, stupid real life is always getting in my way. Side note: Anybody follow The Vault on Twitter? They've been tweeting snippets from the TB panel at Comic-Con so I've been distracted :-/ Watched a video interview with ASkars and the whole time, I was staring at his hands like 'They're SO big!' Hehe. Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball own all this stuff. Hope you like it!**

I decided to stay in the bed, securely bundled up against any sneak attacks to ravage me that Eric might be planning, while we waited for Godric to get back. Though, to be fair, the Potential Sneak Attacker appeared to be completely oblivious to my presence since our brief exchange regarding his Maker's plans. After my own words rolled off his tongue and blew a raspberry in my face, I had attempted a death stare that would've made Pam proud. According to her, she had once doled out a Number Six (at some point in the past, she had gone through her arsenal and numbered her stares after becoming briefly enamored with Coco Chanel) to a girl who had subsequently dropped dead. While Eric remained adamant that Pam's 'victim' had suffered an aneurysm, Pam was convinced that she only needed to recreate the circumstances exactly in order to achieve success once again. Unfortunately, she hadn't quite been able to do so, though she swears she nearly dispatched me once when I had particularly annoyed her at Fangtasia. I can't remember the exact occasion but I was there with Bill and, looking back, I supposed I was pretty effin' annoying during that phase of my life.

Anyway, I tried to kill Eric via eye-wave for a few minutes. He had gone into the front room after he got dressed and even though I tried squinting, bugging out my eyes, and even crossing them briefly, no dice. He was clearly unaffected as he sat casually in one of the chairs reading a book, oblivious to the potential threat. So I gave up, crossing my arms behind my head as I laid back on the pillow.

I stared up at the ceiling, thinking over the things I knew regarding my situation (which were pitifully few).

Number one, I had apparently picked the wrong patch of dirt and got sucked back into time approximately 500 years.

Number two, the exact time and place I came out in happened to be inhabited by Eric and Godric. That _had_ to mean something.

Number three, I was getting really confused with my feelings for Eric and, if I were totally honest with myself, Godric as well. With Eric, it was so hard to remember that he wasn't evolved into the man I loved just yet. Even though he was in the same gorgeous package and had a lot of the same charm, he wasn't mine.

With Godric, I didn't know what to think. I had felt a definite connection to him in the future. I'd been deeply moved when he saved me from the would-be rapist and was overcome with emotion when he met the sun, though I'd only known him a matter of days at the time. Meeting him now, I felt the same connection and also a strange attraction. I wondered if it was because of Eric, because they were so close and how Eric had idolized Godric. I didn't think so, though.

Godric was a mystery to me and it was hard to match the caring person I would know to the monster that Eric had described; although when he told me the stories, he spoke reverently and with clear admiration - monster was _my_ take on it at the time. To get both or even either of those personas to match the man I'd met the night before was impossible. It was very frustrating. It was also intriguing and really effin' creepy. I could not be getting the hots for my future boyfriends double-dead Maker. Way too weird.

Another thing I'd realized was that the change in my circumstances had prompted me to decide on a new career path. Henceforth, I would be known as Sookie Stackhouse, Vigilante. Yes, that's right. I was going to singlehandedly destroy the practice of prostitution and all those affiliated with the dastardly profession. Hookers the world over would quake at the mere mention of my name. Starting with old What's Her Face from The Little Rose. As I sat back picturing myself dispatching ho's ninja-style, I heard someone accessing the tunnel.

Since Eric seemed unperturbed, I knew it had to be Godric and whoever he'd brought for dinner. I get how gross that sounds, but it definitely falls under my 'Things That I Can't Help' umbrella. I was curious about his selection and how many people he'd brought. I, for one, had to feed every night. I was still far too young to skip a meal just yet. Eric would certainly be able to go without eating for at least a day or two. It may be uncomfortable for him, but not impossible. Godric, of course, could probably eat once a week or even more infrequently and still be fine. He was somewhere around fifteen hundred years old, after all.

Even though the night was young, I found myself suddenly ravenous after thinking of feeding, and kept my eyes glued to entrance. I wondered if the human was willing; if not, I wondered how he was going to get them down through that tunnel. Strange that a few months ago, I would have been seriously upset at the thought of an unwilling human being dragged to an underground lair and now I was only curious about _how_ they would be dragged there. Again, 'Things I Can't Help'.

After a few moments, Godric emerged from the tunnel. He stood and brushed himself off briefly before bending back toward the opening and reaching down. A small hand grasped his timidly, and a girl climbed out to stand beside him. She was only a bit shorter than Godric, perhaps my height. If I had to guess, I'd say she wasn't quite twenty, though I never was any good at guessing ages. Her face reminded me of Japanese anime; her eyes were huge and liquid brown, she had a tiny little snub nose, and a small, pointy chin. In a strange way, she was really adorable. Her mousy brown hair was gathered back in a tight bun with a couple of tendrils escaping around her face. She was wearing a patched up dress in a nondescript shade of brown with tattered clog-type shoes. Her clothes were clearly hand-me-downs but they were clean, as was she. Other than a few streaks of dirt that she'd undoubtedly gotten on her way in, she was very tidy. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were darting around nervously.

Godric looked at her briefly, and then disappeared back into the tunnel. I decided on a whim to lower my shields.

She was nervous, as clearly conveyed by her body language. She thought Eric was very handsome, though he hadn't even looked at her. She wanted to marry Godric because she wanted a better life; nicer things; more respect. She thought as Godric's wife, she would get those things. She convinced herself that she loved him, though she didn't really. They'd slept together, of course, but he must have glamoured her as she didn't recall him ever drinking from her. She did feel an affection for him, but mainly he was her ticket out. In her mind, she pictured the shack that she live in with her mother and three siblings. She hated it, she hated her mother for not being better. She hated the women that she catered to, as a washerwoman. She hated their fine things and the fact that she didn't have them. I didn't think she was evil, she was just young and jealous.

She was remembering that he said he'd wanted her to meet his dear friends, and she thought Eric was being rather rude by not introducing himself. Just as she began to wonder where the other friend was, Godric reappeared, pulling a chest in behind him. I assumed that it had 'suitable garments' inside and was startled to realize I was curious to see them. I was even more curious about how I was going to get dressed without Mrs. Cotillard, but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. I wondered how improper it would be for me to go out there in a nightgown, then decided I didn't really care. The girl smelled pretty good, and I was pretty hungry.

I disentangled myself from the blankets and slid off the edge of the bed. I straightened my nightgown, smoothing the wrinkles out of habit, and brushed my hair behind my shoulders. I dearly wanted a toothbrush but felt pretty certain they hadn't been invented yet. I steeled my nerve to deal with the nights events, having no idea what all that encompassed, and walked to the doorway.

"Good evening," Godric smiled charmingly. "I wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet," he told me, positioning the chest against the wall.

"I haven't been up for long," I admitted, noticing Eric was still reading his book. The girl was studying my face closely. I dipped back into her brain to see myself reflected through her eyes. I thought I looked like a train wreck. She thought I was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. In her awe, she forgot to be spiteful for a moment. Instead, she was listing off the things she admired about me: The way my hair looked like sunshine, my clear skin, my beautiful blue eyes, the way I held myself as I stood in the doorway. She even liked the ratty old nightgown. After a moment, her jealous nature caught up, reminding her that I was everything she wasn't, wondering snottily who I was and why I was wearing night clothes in Godric's home. I found it odd that she didn't wonder why Godric lived underground.

"Hello there," I said, smiling at her. She stared back at me for a second before offering me a pinched smile in return. "My name is Sookie," I told her, trying to make her more comfortable.

"You don't have to introduce yourself," Eric said, not looking up from his book. I tried one last squint on him but it still didn't work.

"I don't _have_ to do anything," I informed him. "I wanted to."

Eric shot me a look and then resumed reading. Godric chuckled, placing his hand on the girls shoulder. "Sookie, this is Anna."

"Nice to meet you, Anna," I said, smiling at her again. She smiled, showing a row of crowded teeth this time.

"Likewise, missus," she bobbed a neat curtsey.

"That!" I exclaimed, pointing at her. She froze and Eric and Godric looked sharply at me. "That's what I have been trying to do!" There was a moment of silence before Eric roared with laughter.

"_That's_ what you were trying to do?" he asked, incredulous. "I wouldn't have guessed it!" Godric chuckled with him while I donned my best martyred expression. After he collected himself, I gave him the hairy eyeball.

"I'm glad I could entertain you with my limited knowledge," I said in a scathing tone.

"Oh, it certainly wasn't entertaining at the time. If I had to describe it, I would say…painful? Graceless? Awkward, to say the least." He was definitely cruisin' for a bruisin'. Although I did have to stifle a laugh of my own seeing how tickled he was to make fun of me. A-hole.

"Children," Godric muttered jokingly, turning Anna to face him. "Anna, you will need to sit very still and be very quiet, do you understand?" he asked in a low, soothing voice. She immediately fell under his glamour, nodding slowly at him. My mood instantly changed from jovial to serious as I felt my fangs begin to ache. My eyes were glued to the vein throbbing in her neck. "You should be completely calm, and not speak until I ask you to. You will be perfectly safe here, do not fret." She nodded again, completely dazed.

He looked up at me and I could see the shadow of my own bloodlust in his eyes. I noticed that Eric was also looking at me, clearly sensing the change in my demeanor. Godric tilted his head very slightly and I was immediately by his side, staring at the girl. I could see each individual beat of her heart as the skin jumped slightly where it covered the pulsing vein. I inhaled her scent. It was delicious. My fangs dropped of their own accord and I heard Eric's drop a moment later.

I looked at Godric for the final permission. Standing so close to her in this small space, her scent was intoxicating. That, combined with the fact that I'd drank so little from the man the night before, meant I wasn't going to be able to wait much longer. He nodded, his eyes slightly dilated. Instantly, I slid my fangs into her neck. I gripped her shoulder with one hand and slid the other around her waist to support her, stifling a soft moan as the warm liquid coursed down my throat. I closed my eyes, drinking deeply, and heard Godric's fangs finally descend. I wasn't sure whether they planned to drink, so I paid close attention to the beat of her heart. It slowed all too quickly and I groaned as I prepared to disengage.

"If you're still hungry, drain her," Godric's voice was husky in my ear. I swallowed again and gently pulled my fangs out. There were things I couldn't help, but this wasn't one of them. I could control myself and there was no reason she had to die. I sealed up the puncture marks and leaned away from her, wiping the blood from the corners of my mouth.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. The girl was obviously a regular companion and even though him offering me her life sounds pretty callous, it was really a generous offer for him to make. "I am fine, though. I feel much better now."

"Have you ever drained a human?" he asked, his eyes still glued to mine.

"No," I answered immediately. "There is no need for it."

"Perhaps not. But the ecstasy is immeasurable," he said in an almost dreamy tone.

"The feeling of power when their life fades into you," Eric's voice trailed off longingly. I cut my eyes to him and saw that he was imagining it as well. I tilted my head back slightly and retracted my fangs. I may have just drank her blood without her knowledge but I was not down for letting her die.

"She believes she's in love with you," I told Godric, wondering if the humanity he would have in the future had a place in this time. He barked out a laugh. Apparently not.

"Young one, you have much to learn. You are a creature of death," his eyes smoldered. Eric got up from his seat, standing behind Godric. "The living are good for only one thing. And it is not love."

_Tom Cruise, where the hell are you at?_

**A/N Yeah, that last line is from the next episode of TB but it was a really good one! This chapter was weird to me and I apologize for that, but I wanted to include it. The bonding stuff is going to need it's own chapter, which is coming up next! As always, please share your wonderful opinions/ideas with me!**


	11. In Which I Swap Blood With The Viking

**Hey guys! I am SO sorry I didn't get this out yesterday but I was in the grips of what was surely the worst hangover in human history. I have since recovered and was able to knock this puppy out. Thank you so much for the reviews and continued interest and also, thanks for checking out my **_**Snarky Sidekick**_** contest entry =) I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter. CH/AB own all this stuff.**

I was frantically trying to think of something to say to Godric but found it a little difficult when they were both looming over me so menacingly. I thought fleetingly that I seriously was not living right when I actually had cause to use the phrase 'looming over me so menacingly' in a real situation. Back to the matter at hand, I wasn't sure what the best course to take was.

"I can't necessarily argue with that," I told him. "I mean, I never found a human to love even when I was one. The only time I've truly been in love is with Eric," I said, glancing up at him. He looked slightly startled but hid it quickly. It couldn't be easy for him hearing his future predicted this way and I realized that he was taking it pretty well. Godric seemed to come back to himself, retracting his fangs with a faint smile.

"You will understand, one day," he assured me. I bit back the impulse to thank him for his opinion but assure him that he was wrong. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders slightly and at him, more than thankful that a possible crisis had been averted. Eric shook himself slightly, apparently coming out of the bloodlust as well, and I heard his fangs retract. "Anna, sit." Still in thrall to his glamour, the girl immediately complied and sat in the chair nearest to her. "I brought you some gowns and things, I believe they will suit you," he gestured toward the chest, a shy smile on his face.

I couldn't believe how one minute he could be so ruthless, casually talking about killing someone just because he could, and the next he was adorable and shy about getting some clothes for me. Of course, it is our nature to be duplicitous but he was a master. Despite that fact, I had to smile back at him. I couldn't seem to help liking him, even when I had clearly just glimpsed the heartless side of him.

"I'm sure they're lovely," I told him. "But I am sort of anxious to hear what you have planned for tonight. Eric told me you'd like us to bond?" I really wanted to get this show on the road. I was willing to try anything that might get me back to my own time before Future Eric lost his mind and went on a killing spree when he couldn't find me.

He shrugged out of his overcoat. "Yes, I am very curious to learn whether his blood will recognize yours. As vampires, we do not change. The blood in his veins now will be the same in 500 years, and therefore should be the same as what is in your veins. Partially, of course," he added, loosening the collar of his shirt. It came open and revealed part of the tattoo around his neck and I had a sudden flash of all of his tattoos on display when he'd taken his shirt off to meet the sun. He'd been so hopeful, so expectant, as he turned to the sky and I felt a pang remembering it. I suppressed the memory, focusing back on him in the here and now. The strangest expression crossed his face before he quickly rearranged his features into a bland smile. Weird.

"That is an interesting theory," I agreed. "But I'm not sure how it will help us to figure out what's going on."

"If you share the connection of the bond, your thoughts will be more in sync. He will feel your emotions, be able to divine some of the things you're feeling, and I hope that the combined intuition will facilitate the solving of this mystery," he explained, sprawling into the chair Eric had vacated. Although he was currently wearing more clothes than I was used to seeing on a man, he somehow managed to look very casual with the neck of his shirt open and the sleeves pushed back to his elbows. I nodded, understanding his train of thought better.

"Ok, that makes sense too. I suppose it's worth a shot," I conceded. I noticed both of them wrinkle their brows. "Uh, I mean, I suppose we should try it because it may be beneficial?" They immediately nodded and I made a mental note to pay closer attention to my phrasing.

"Excellent. If progress is made after the two of you bond, I would be wiling to bond with you myself. Though of course, I would not insist if you were opposed." Wow. That was a big deal. It was a big enough deal that he wanted Eric to bond with me, though I could understand why. They knew I was telling the truth and since Eric was my Maker, there'd be no harm done. At least none as far as they were concerned. I knew it would be a huge pain in my ass to feel his emotions, especially if he went out on the prowl, but I was really hoping that I wouldn't be sticking around here too much longer.

"I'm honored," I said, and I really was. Godric was very old, even then, and very powerful. For him to consider bonding with another vampire, especially one as young as me, was really saying something. He nodded and looked up at Eric. He was still standing and I took the opportunity to give him the old once over.

He really was a magnificent example of a man. He stood with his shoulders slightly stooped, a habit I'm sure he had from spending so much time with Godric, who was much shorter. Even stooped, his height was still impressive. He was just so big, but so poised at the same time. Even standing still the man was graceful. He exuded innate confidence, which only added to his appeal.

"Are you ready?" Godric asked him. He smiled faintly and looked at me, nodding.

Showtime.

I took a quick breath, unnecessary though it was, to calm myself. "How do you want to do this?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. I knew that no matter how clinical I might try to make the process, it would be painfully erotic.

Blood and sex are tied so closely together for us that any time we give blood, it's very 'exciting' to us. When we give blood_ and_ take it at the same time? That just takes it to a whole 'nother level. I was going to have to focus, hard, to prevent myself from mauling him after this.

"Come with me," he said in a low voice, walking into the bedroom. _Of course_. I stayed still for a moment, trying to think of some way to argue it but I couldn't come up with anything. So, I spun on my heel and followed him. I would've sworn Godric was fighting a smirk as he watched us go.

In the bedroom, Eric was taking his shirt off. _Of course._ Like this wasn't going to be hard enough, now he was unleashing his ab candy on me. I stifled a groan as I watched him slide the fabric off of his shoulders. His broad, beautiful shoulders… I shook my head and looked away. _Get a grip, Stackhouse!_

"I believe it will be more comfortable if we sit on the bed. Do you agree?" I looked back over at him only to have my eyes burned by the awesome sight of his bare torso facing me. You'd think that after seeing that body so many times, in so many ways, I would be dulled to the appeal. Not so much. I cleared my throat.

"Yeah," was my brilliant reply. He nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. I stayed rooted to the ground and after a moment, he patted the spot beside him and raised his eyebrows at me. I cleared my throat (again) and walked over to him. "Now, just so you know, I am sticking to what I said earlier. I don't want to have sex with you-"

"Yes, you do," he interrupted, smirking at me. "That much is clear." I 'hmph-ed' in frustration.

"_Yet_. I don't want to have sex with you _yet_. How's that?" I shot back.

"You're only fooling yourself, and I daresay you're not even doing a thorough job of that," he answered, prompting a heavy duty eye roll from me. "But I will respect your wishes." I nodded curtly and sat beside him on the bed.

"Now, do you want to exchange from the wrist?" I asked, pulling my sleeves up. There was no way I was getting naked. If the nightgown got ruined, so be it.

Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me. In the space of a second or two, he had pulled me back against him and positioned himself against the head of the bed, leaning back. I was sitting between his legs with my back against his stomach, and the pose was hauntingly familiar. I realized he really had been using the same lines (and apparently moves) for most of his existence, but skipped commenting on it. It probably was the best position, after all.

"This works," I admitted, relaxing against him a little. "Thank you for doing this," I told him, wanting him to know that I did appreciate it.

"You're welcome," he answered in a gruff voice. He reached his right arm around me, presenting his wrist. I took hold of his massive hand and held his arm in front of me. After taking a second to tamp down the panic I felt now that I was getting ready to actually do this, I dropped my fangs. His dropped at the sound and I exhaled a breath slowly. Deciding it was now or never, I bit.

The sensation of his blood hitting my tongue was indescribable. Any blood is good blood, with only a couple of exceptions (blood heavily laced with drugs or alcohol and disease-ridden blood is pretty nasty). But the blood of your Maker is like nothing else in the world. It's almost like your body craves it, but you don't realize that until you're actually drinking it. And Eric's blood held all kinds of allure for me for reasons outside of his creating me.

First of all, he was much older than I was and the older a vampire is, the sweeter their blood becomes. You might think it's the other way around, getting gross as we age, but that's not the case. Secondly, we were bonded when I was a human. That means that before I was even created, my body knew his blood and therefore craved it on a subliminal level. And lastly, I was very much in love with him and the emotional bond I carried (even though it wasn't necessarily for _this_ Eric) increased the attraction to all things Eric, including his blood, tenfold.

That being said, I was basically debilitated with ecstasy at that moment. The two thoughts warring for dominance in my brain were basically "Oh my God this is so good!" and "Sex sex sex sex sex!" I was trying to focus but it was so hard and I found myself leaning back into his body, pressing against him as much as I was able. He certainly wasn't helping matters.

The sensation of drinking blood is only slightly more erotic than the sensation of being drank from. His free hand was gripping my waist so hard that I would have bruised if that were possible. The more I leaned into him, the more he pulled me back. I could feel the 'gracious plenty' fully alert and plentiful against my back and my traitorous body was doing it's damnedest to grind against it.

I felt his lips brush against my neck and titled my head to give him better access. When his tongue touched my skin, I felt goosebumps run down my chest and my nipples instantly tightened. When I felt his fangs slide into my neck, just below my ear, I actually lost control and went to my happy place. Fully clothed. There's a first time for everything.

When I came back to my senses, my head was tilted back against his shoulder. His arm was wrapped around my waist and I felt his lips, soft against my ear. My eyes closed and I shuddered from the intensity of the feeling I'd just had. I realized dimly that if the damp spot on my back was any indicator, he'd been in Happy Land, too.

I suddenly remembered the last time we'd been in the pose and had to smile at the memory. I pictured the room at Russell Edgington's home, the bedcovers, the excitement and trepidation I felt, the annoyance and relief of Bubba showing up. It had ended in much the same way.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked behind, his sharp voice cutting through my memory. I opened my eyes and craned my neck around to look at him.

"Trying to recover. What are you doing?" I asked, just as sharply. He shook his head impatiently.

"You were showing me something, there was a bed," he said slowly, his brow furrowed. 'Who was that man? That came through the window?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, not liking the fluttering in my stomach one bit.

"I was with you, and you drank from me.. And a dark haired man came through a window," he trailed off. My mouth went completely dry. Godric appeared in the doorway, eyes sharp on my face.

"You saw that?" I asked in a tiny voice. He nodded. "That was a memory."

_Jesus Christ on a cracker._

**A/N ****Oh snap! Hehe =) Hope you guys like this one and I hope you let me know if you did! Side note: Last night's episode of True Blood left me with one question: WTF, Pam? I was so mad I wanted to smack her other ear off.**


	12. In Which A Memory Is Worth 1,000 Words

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I was seized with a 'brilliant' idea for a contest I saw on here, so I started writing feverishly (only to realize that the deadline is this weekend and I wouldn't have time to find a beta and submit it) which took my focus away from this for a day or two. Also, TMART37 asked what is up with Future Eric which made me say 'Hm. WTF **_**is**_** up with Future Eric?' So I'm trying to figure that out and we *might* hear from him soon. (I know who, er, what I'd **_**like**_** for him to be doing right now…but that's another story). Hope you like this one! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

"How can that be?" I asked, thoroughly freaked out. My eyes darted back and forth between Godric and Eric, not sure who to look to for explanation. Eric looked just as unsettled as I was, but Godric looked oddly introspective. He took another step, coming into the room.

"You said that you are of Fae descent," he said slowly, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded. "Which is how you came by your telepathy?" he asked, eyebrows lifting slightly.

"More or less," I said, thinking how to explain. "One of Niall's associates, Mr. Cataliades passed it to me. Fintan asked him to give a 'gift' his descendants," I explained.

"The demon Cataliades?" Eric asked, incredulous.

"That's the one," I agreed. He made a moue of distaste. "What?" I asked, feeling slightly protective of the lawyer. He'd always been pretty helpful to me.

"Demons," he muttered, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes.

"As a human, you could hear only humans but when you were made vampire, our minds were made plain to you as well?" Godric asked, drawing my attention back to him.

"Well, I could sort of hear Were's and shifters when I was human. It was harder but not impossible. But now I can hear everyone, clear as day," I told him.

"And apparently you are now able to share images with others as well," Eric added. I wrinkled my brow, looking at him.

"Do you think that was a fluke because we'd just bonded? Maybe since you're my Maker, there was something weird with the bond going on? Some kind of preemptive connection or something?" I asked, hoping like hell he'd say 'Oh yeah, you know what? That's probably exactly what that was. Don't even sweat it.' Alas, Godric shot those hopes down in a blaze of glory with his next words.

"I can see them too." I snapped my head back over to him.

"What?" I asked, completely shocked. He nodded slowly, eyes looking straight ahead though he was clearly a thousand miles away.

"Earlier, you were remembering me standing before you with no shirt on. You saw my tattoos. I looked toward the sky, spreading out my arms," he sounded like he was in a trance. I felt like the floor just dropped out from under me. I felt Eric's body go rigid behind me and I knew he'd figured out where that memory had come from. "Last night, when you were telling us of your heritage, you remembered Eric trying to make amends with you. For not saving you. He told you that he suffered with you, hurt with you. That he bled with you, not because you were bonded but because he loved you. He was in pain, speaking these words to you."

My throat constricted and I had a wild urge to cry. I swallowed convulsively, beating the impulse back. I didn't dare look at Eric, who felt like a statue behind me. The only sound for what seemed like an eternity was Anna's quiet breathing in the next room. Once I was certain I could control my voice, I spoke.

"That's how you knew I was telling the truth," I said softly. Godric's eyes refocused and he looked at me, nodding. "How could you see when Eric couldn't?" I was assuming that had Eric seen it then, he wouldn't have seemed so shocked tonight.

"Godric is intuitive," Eric answered from behind me. I realized I should probably get off of his lap but I had an overwhelming need to be near him at that moment. SInce he didn't seem to be uncomfortable with me so close, I stayed put. I nodded at his words, having picked up on that myself. But was that enough to _see _my memories? Just when I was about to ask, it hit me.

"That's his gift." It wasn't a question. They both nodded. Not all of us had gifts, but Eric could fly and Sophie Anne had been able to keep her children with her forever. In my opinion, a flair for snarky sarcasm and an unparalleled shopping stamina didn't count as 'gifts', which meant Pam didn't have one. Bill didn't either. Although I sometimes mused that the level of douche-osity he maintained on a regular basis really should count for something. "So perhaps you could see because of that?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"Perhaps," he answered. "Or perhaps this is _your_ gift. It takes some time for us to come into our full potential."

"It hasn't been that long, though," I argued. I'd had quite enough as far as 'gifts' (read: curses) were concerned while I was human. The thought that I'd be a freak among vampires as well twisted a knife in my stomach.

"From what I gather, you were quite an exceptional human. You won Eric's love. I chose to spend my last moments with you. Those facts alone speak of your mettle. It stands to reason that you would be an exceptional vampire as well. It is likely that the time you've had to develop has been plenty," he reasoned. I blew out a frustrated breath. He smiled slightly. "You do not relish being exceptional?"

"I do not call it 'exceptional'. My life was hell growing up with the telepathy. Until I realized that vampires were voids, that I couldn't hear them, I didn't get any peace. I'd learned to suppress the thoughts somewhat, but I was never alone in my own head. It was hard. Then I found sanctuary with vampires and got turned into one, bringing your minds into focus for me. The only good thing was I had a lot better control over blocking everything out. I have total peace and quiet until I try to hear something. I felt more normal than I ever have," I explained. "And now I can shoot images into other peoples minds. Unbelievable," I said, shaking my head.

"Perhaps you can learn to control this as well," Eric said encouragingly behind me. "Attempt to share something with us, and then attempt to view a memory but hide it from us. For the sake of experimenting." He sounded excited and I had to admit, it was as good a plan as any. I huffed out another breath and closed my eyes. The memory I shared was a vivid one: Eric staking Long Shadow when he attacked me. I could tell from the growls that came out of both of them that they'd seen it.

"Ok so that worked," I observed out loud. "Now let me try to block one." I remembered the first night I'd met Eric, picturing Pam standing behind his throne at Fangtasia. He was sprawled across it like a king, damn near dripping sex onto the floor as his eyes lazily perused the club.

"Who is the woman?" Eric's voice was interested, but not in a way that made me want to sock him one.

"Clearly that didn't work," I said, frustrated even though it was only my first attempt. "And she's Pam, your progeny. You made her, er, will make her, somewhere around the 1800's," I explained, looking back at his face.

"How many will I make?" he asked, clearly fascinated by the fact that he would be a Maker.

"Only the two of us," I answered, proud of the fact that in over a thousand years of roaming the earth he had seen fit to preserve only two women and I was one of them. Although to say I was annoyed when he'd turned me would be a massive understatement.

"Beautiful, both of you," Godric said softly. "Well done, my child." I felt Eric straighten a bit behind me, pleased by the praise.

"What is she like?" Eric asked, almost dreamily. I was reminded of stories Gran used to tell me when I was a little girl. Stories about princesses finding their princes. I always wanted to know what the prince's would be like, what they would look like, how much they would love the princess. I smiled as I answered.

"She's one of a kind. She's sarcastic but funny. She's smart and she loves fashion. She's quick witted and she keeps you on your toes. She's my friend, one of the first real ones I've ever had. She's loyal. And she loves you," I said, realizing with horror that I was getting ready to cry, _again. _I needed to get home. I missed Eric and I missed Pam. I even missed Jessica and Jason. I cleared my throat, trying to get a hold of myself. "She's you with breasts," I summed up, trying to lighten up a little. They both snorted at that and I smiled, feeling a little better.

"Try again," Eric urged. I took another deep (unnecessary) breath and closed my eyes. I remembered when Eric took me to meet Niall for the first time and we were pulled over on our way home. The sound of his voice was forever burned into my mind when he'd told me very explicitly what he wanted to do to me when I smelled the way I did. I tried to pull the memory into my head, flexing the same 'muscles' I used to keep thoughts out. When Eric shifted slightly behind me, I knew my attempts had failed, and I smiled slightly to myself. When I opened my eyes, Godric was looking at me, smiling too. I turned, looking back at Eric, who had a sexy haze over his features.

"Did you see that one?" I asked, a little flirtatiously. He nodded, leaning ever so slightly towards me. I leaned back from him just a smidgen, deciding I liked this new game. Thankfully the main focus of my memory was him, and the car escaped their notice. I wasn't sure how to even begin explaining the mechanics of a vehicle to someone who knew nothing about them. "Let me try again," I said, facing forward and winking at Godric. I closed my eyes, not bothering to even try shielding the memory of Eric in a certain pink and aqua colored lycra.

We kept on with it for a good while. I showed them some memories of Jason and Gran. Jessica. Sam. I tried to keep any huge revelations out of it, deciding to just have a little fun with it for tonight. They seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was. It didn't escape my notice that Eric was becoming more and more relaxed behind me, even tracing light patterns against the side of my leg with his fingertips at one point. I didn't comment on it, taking the opportunity to imagine for a moment that he was himself and that my world wasn't really upside down.

"You aren't able to shield them at all?" Godric finally asked. He'd eventually come in to sit on the bed with us, relaxing into the game we played. I grinned, a little sheepish.

"I stopped trying a while ago," I admitted. "But the first couple of times, I gave it an effort. I tried to do use the same method I use for blocking thoughts but it didn't seem to help."

"Practice, you will master it," he said confidently. I nodded.

"At least it only seems to be memories. You can't hear my actual thoughts, right?" I asked, suddenly horror-struck at the possibility. I think some pretty crazy shit sometimes and I definitely didn't want them to hear it. Any of it. He shook his head immediately.

"No. The memories aren't sounds. I can see them, as though they are happening before my eyes," he struggled to explain the concept of video. I felt Eric nod in agreement behind me.

"Thank God," I said fervently. "I will try to practice. I'm sure I'll be able to strengthen my mind enough to hold them in," I decided.

"Did you receive any other gifts from the Brigants?" Eric chimed in, squeezing my leg briefly. I felt a thrill at his touch but suppressed it so I could focus. Without thinking, I leaned my head back against his chest, feeling more at home than I had for the last two nights. He tilted his chin to the side a bit, making room for me against him.

"No, just the telepathy," I answered. Then I remembered and my stomach flipped. "Of course," I breathed, sitting up suddenly. "That has to be it."

Eric stiffened behind me and Godric was on instant alert.

My head was spinning and I felt disconnected as I realized what must have happened.

Jason was housesitting for me while I was on vacation with Eric.

He'd said he was going to do some spring cleaning, though I told him I didn't need it and not to bother.

He must have found it.

But how in the blue hell had he done _this?_

"What is it?" Eric asked, urgency in his voice.

"Have you ever heard of a cluviel dor?" I asked, my voice sounding strangled to my own ears.

_If I ever find a way home, your ass is grass, Jason Stackhouse!_

**A/N More coming soon! I have to travel for work next week, so I'm going to try to update a couple more chapters before I leave. What did you think of this one? Anybody have any ideas or suggestions? If so, let me know! I love hearing from you all. Seriously. Like, a lot.**

**P.S. I hate making these notes long but nobody gets it like you guys: Did anybody see the interview w/Stephen Moyer at Comic Con? Where he said something like, "I said to Alex, 'Lots of scenes with the missus this season. But it's ok, I don't mind. Do what you need to do.' And then I planted a GPS in his cock sock." I howled and thought, "Smart move, Bill. Smart move."**


	13. In Which We Visit The Viking

**Hey guys! Though I was not keen on doing this whatsoever, I really couldn't find a way around it. So here is an Eric POV *squinches face in fear* I apologize if it's really OOC; I enjoy looking at him, not acting like him! I really do hope you like it though. CH/AB own all this stuff.**

_**Eric POV, the night Sookie went back in time.**_

As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't feel her. There was only one way that I knew of to sever the tie between Maker and Child.

The True Death.

I'd heard the phrase 'a blind panic' before and thought it was another human exaggeration.

But when the white hot panic seared through my chest as I charged through the hotel room, trying to find the phone, I learned that it wasn't.

Literally blinded by fear, I destroyed most of the suite before I found the cell in my jeans pocket. I'd been alive a very long time and with very few exceptions (Pam's torture at the Magister's hands and learning Godric meant to end his life at the top of the list), I'd never been so scared. I called Sookie's number first, knowing that she wouldn't answer. She wouldn't be awake yet; it was far too early for one so young to have risen. I clenched my teeth as her voicemail message played and waited for the beep before I spoke.

"Sookie, call me immediately," I said tersely, snapping the phone shut. I thought for a moment. High-handed. "Fuck!" I shouted. I dialed her back as I paced the suite like a caged lion. I fisted my hand in my hair to avoid breaking anything else. Her message played again.

"I love you," I said after the beep, hanging up and immediately dialing Jessica's number. Again, too young to be awake. Again, the voicemail message. Again, the broken amenities.

"Jessica, this is Eric. Call me immediately. Do not fuck around," I snapped the phone shut again, sitting abruptly on the couch. Think. I needed to think. I opened the phone again, dialing Pam. Two rings and she answered.

"Black lace, top and bottom," she said in a sultry tone. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"It's Eric," I told her shortly.

"God damn this caller ID to the fiery pits of hell!" she growled in an undertone. Had I not been so tightly wound, I may have laughed.

"Have you heard from Sookie?" I chose not to hide the urgency.

"Honeymoon not going so well?" she asked in her snarkiest tone.

"Do not FUCK WITH ME PAM!" I couldn't help shouting. I'd gone back to pacing and my mind was running a thousand miles an hour. Where the fuck was she?

"Calm. The fuck. Down," she answered, the snark gone. "No I haven't heard from Sookie. What the fuck is going on, Eric?"

"I can't feel her," I snapped. Silence. "I don't know what this means. I don't know where she is, or where she was last night. She was frustrated with the redhead and told me she was going off to hunt. I let her go as I had some business to attend to. When she didn't come back, I assumed she would lodge elsewhere and return tonight. She was not distressed at any point, or I'd have felt her."

More silence.

"God damn it Pam, say something!" I growled into the phone, needing to hear something besides my own panicked thoughts.

"Could it have been the witch?" she asked, fear evident under her words. The witch. Sookie's meddling friend who'd cut our bond when she'd still been human. Though Sookie hadn't spoken with her in some time and I didn't think such a thing was possible between a Maker and his progeny, I couldn't rule anything out.

"Contact her immediately. If she had anything to do with this, no amount of wards will stop me from ending her," I growled into the phone.

"I suggest getting some information from her before then," Pam answered.

"I'll ask her entrails. Contact whoever you see fit and call me the second you learn anything," I instructed her.

"Of course," she knew better than to be sarcastic. I closed the phone and sighed heavily, feeling as though the weight of the world were on my shoulders.

It was a feeling I'd become accustomed to over the course of my many years. Especially so since the day Sookie had come charging into my life, taking me quite by surprise. All of the trouble and inconvenience she'd caused and I still wouldn't trade her for anything. I wouldn't lose her for anything either, I resolved fiercely.

I went into the bedroom to dress, formulating a plan. I pulled a pair of jeans on over my briefs and grabbed a dark grey t shirt. Sookie's scent lingered throughout the room and I couldn't help noticing her things everywhere. I had to find her. She could not be dead. I slid into a pair of boots and left the suite, needing to trace her steps from the previous night.

….

After speaking with Jessica, who I'd frightened to within an inch of her undead life (she should be lucky that's all I'd done), I'd been able to start in the next town over and went from there. Two hours later, I'd successfully traced the remnants of her scent surprisingly far north of where we were lodging. I'd located the exact spot she'd gone to ground and deduced that she'd been too far away to get home before first light. What I couldn't make sense of was the fact that the spot was undisturbed. I could clearly see where she'd dug in, but there was no sign of her having dug out. Knowing there was no way for her to have met the final death while safely ensconced in the earth, I dug in to investigate. I could smell her clearly in the pocket of ground but there was no sign of her and that's when my internal shit hit the panic fan.

As I stood waist deep in the hole, mind racing to try and put any of this together, my phone rang. I knew it was Pam even without hearing the ridiculous song she'd programmed in for herself (Baby Got Back; when interrogated, she'd explained that it was the perfect song for her ringtone as she, too, had an LA face with an Oakland booty) and immediately answered.

"I'm listening."

"You're not going to like it," she warned.

"Speak," I growled, losing patience.

"Amelia did not have anything to do with it but apparently Sookie's dimwitted brother did. Upon speaking with the witch, I learned that Sookie's grandfather gifted the family with a cluviel dor. Which apparently Einstein found while he was 'spring cleaning' Sookie's place in Bon Temps." My mind quickly organized this information. How it had been unknown to me that she'd possessed something of such potent magic, I couldn't fathom. Surely there had been occasions during which she could have informed me of it. Neither here nor there. The main thing was that her painfully stupid sibling had found it and now she was missing.

"Go on," I ordered Pam, not certain where this was going. She paused. I could sense that she dearly wanted to complain about something but was biting back the impulse.

"I had to glamour the fool in order to get an exact recollection," she said, defensively. I wasn't about to reprimand her for using glamour on him. She could literally have torn him limb from limb to extract the information as far as I was concerned. Anything to get Sookie back was approved in my opinion. "When he found it, he thought it was a some kind of cosmetic belonging to Sookie. He said it made him feel good thinking of her, though I imagine that was the actual cluviel door making him feel good, and so he continued. He thought of the things that had occurred in her life that led to her becoming vampire. He mused that she seemed to be content with that and if she was happy, who was he to judge? He distinctly remembered talking to himself, saying, 'I only wish Sook would find her purpose. Accordin' to what Gran always said, that's all a person needs. Guess vamps ain't that much different than people.' Verbatim. Which is, of course, what likely activated the magic. Presumably, the cluviel dor has altered the course of things to unite her with her purpose. The question is, what is Sookie's purpose?"

My head was reeling, my mind presenting and dismissing theories every second. Never would I say it to Pam, but I had truly thought that _**I**_ was Sookie's purpose. And she mine. Of course, I would never give Pam up. I loved her just as fiercely as I loved Sookie. That being said, the relationships I had with each woman could not be more different. Yes, Pam and I had originally enjoyed a carnal relationship, but that quickly changed into the brotherly love I now held for her. I would kill for her; had killed for her, many times. And she had done the same for me. She would do the same for Sookie and so would I. However, Sookie and I were soulmates. I knew she'd been made for me and I couldn't imagine a universe without her in it. I could not even believe (and again, would never admit) that I was entertaining these ridiculously feminine thoughts, but truly it is how I felt. The mere thought that she was gone from me had me seeing red and ready to kill.

"There's only one way to find out," I answered, not relishing the thought.

"Eric, are you-"

"Yes," I cut her off. "I have to see the Ancient Pythoness."

**A/N So I put a link on my profile with a picture of Eric in his outfit from this chapter.. I love me some casually clad Eric and figured I'd share the bliss. It almost hurts my eyes to look at him. And yes, the whole time he's breaking things in the hotel, he's wearing nothing but a tight pair of black boxer briefs (in my mind). Anyways, hope you all liked the chapter. Sorry it was short but I really was having a hard time doing the whole Eric POV. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to do it again, but we will get more Sookie first :) Just so ya knows, my Eric does say 'I love you' to Sookie in certain situations, even if he didn't really come out with it in CH's world (disclaimer!). Let me know what you thought, please!**


	14. In Which I Ponder Right And Wrong

**I am SO sorry for the delay in updating this! I am glad that you guys liked the EPOV chapter, I was nervous of it. As always, thank you so much for the reviews. I seriously get giddy every time I get an alert =) I hope you guys like this one, and to make up for my negligence, I will be posting another tomorrow. Enjoy! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

Not surprisingly, both Eric and Godric knew what a cluviel dor was. What none of us could seem to figure out was how or why my simpleton brother had done this. I knew it had to be him, though. I just had a feeling. The cluviel dor was the only idea I'd had in the last two nights that made any sense whatsoever and he's the only person that would have been in my house. Hell, _I_ hadn't even been in that house in a long while. I'd been living with Eric for a couple of months, basically just dropping in every now and again to make sure everything was ok. I was always worried a pipe would bust or a family of rodents would move in, so it sounded like a good idea to have Jason keep an eye on things when we were leaving for England.

I just could not think of what he could possibly have done to activate the magic and how I had ended up here. I would bet my life that he had no idea what the cluviel dor was so I know that whatever he said or did to get it to work was completely unintentional. Be that as it may, I was still here and wanted answers. I was racking my brain trying to think of one but I was getting nowhere fast. Godric had left to take Anna back to her home and I'd been so preoccupied that I'd forgotten to learn how to curtsey from her. Or bow, what the hell ever it was called. I was getting really agitated over this but I couldn't help it. The whole 'baby vamp losing her shit' thing was coming in to play a little.

I was sitting in one of the chairs in the front room with Eric in the other, though I wasn't even paying attention to him. I was staring a hole through the tabletop as my mind tried to work out an acceptable answer. I could feel my irritation building and considering the fact that we'd just bonded, Eric could too. I hadn't realized my fingers were tapping the tabletop until his hand closed over mine, flattening it against the wood. I looked up at him sharply, instantly perturbed. My annoyance faded a notch or two at the look of compassion on his face.

"Show me something?" he asked hopefully. I narrowed my eyes at him, torn between making a smart remark and complying. I usually wasn't _quite_ this hot tempered but when I felt a strong, sudden emotion like this, I had to focus to reign it in. I flexed my jaw for a second while I got my thoughts in order and then I blew out a deep breath.

"Like what?" I asked, my voice neutral.

"Show me my other child. My Pam? I want to see more of her, please." I had to smile at his request. It wasn;t hard to bring up memories of Pam and since she was always _Pam_, I was easily able to give him a definite idea of her character pretty quickly. I showed him the many times she'd tried hitting on me, though I had to explain a couple of the lines she'd used as he didn't understand the wording. I remembered plenty of her sarcastic comebacks, some of her more stoic moments, and the couple of times I'd seen her fight. Eric was like a new father.

"She is fierce," he said, voice brimming with pride. I'd just shown him the glimpses I'd caught of her during the whole 'war of the witches' debacle.

"That she is," I agreed wholeheartedly. He smiled at me, that rare smile that lit up his whole face and I reached my hand out without thinking. I paused just before I touched his cheek, my hand hanging in the air awkwardly for a second. Just as I prepared to turn it into the lamest yawn ever, he turned his head and kissed my palm. The heat travelled up my arm and down to my belly and then he folded my hand into his own.

"I don't understand what is between us in the future," he said haltingly. "I can't imagine it. I have wanted women, to be sure. Desired them. I've needed them, even. But I have never _loved_ them. But when I see myself through your eyes, I see that I do. I do love you, don't I?" His wondrous blue eyes searched mine, completely guileless and looking for answers. I nodded once in answer. "Can you show me? Can you show me how I love you?"

I smiled a tiny smile at him and closed my eyes. I hadn't planned on showing him this, but since he'd asked, I would give him the best example I could.

_I opened my eyes and immediately panicked. I was buried in the ground and had no idea how or why. I instinctively clawed my way upward, toward the surface. My hands finally broke through and I heaved myself upward, gasping for air. I felt a strange sensation as I gulped in the oxygen and that's when I saw him. Eric was crouched a few feet from where I was and he looked completely unlike himself. His eyes were wide, his face streaked with filth. Clumps of dirt stuck in his beautiful blind hair, which was currently in a snarl. His knuckles were white, hands clenched around his knees. Just as I was about to speak, I realized what he'd done. It hit me like a ton of bricks._

_"Eric, I- I can't," I spluttered, not sure of what to say. My throat closed up a little and I choked back a sudden sob. "Why would you do this to me?" He was grabbing my arms in an instant. Before I knew what was happening, he'd extracted me fully from my grave and stood me up to face him._

_"Sookie, I know this is not what you wanted," he began. I couldn't speak, I just stared up at him. His eyes darted around my face and I realized that he was nervous. Had I not been in such a turmoil, I may have found that amusing. Eric Northman, dread master vampire, was nervous of me. "We were in an accident, you were dying," as he said the words, I remembered. The truck had come out of nowhere, obliterating my tiny car. I distinctly remembered Eric's arm shooting out to brace me and then a terrific pain in the side of my head as it collided with the doorframe._

_"That's what humans do, Eric," I answered him in a tiny voice. His hand came up to cradle my face, tilting my chin up. When I looked into his eyes, I was startled to see them brimming red._

_"Sookie, I cannot exist without you. I will not. I realized that when I watched your light fading," he was working to control his voice. "When I heard your heart failing, I reacted. I could not help myself." I felt my own eyes begin to well up looking at him. It was as if all of his years had etched themselves onto his face at that moment and I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to touch his cheek. His eyes closed as my skin met his and a thick red tear rolled down the side of his nose._

_"Eric," I whispered, heartbroken at seeing him weep. Without opening his eyes, he spoke._

_"Pride can stand a thousand trials, the strong will never fall. But holding you in my arms, watching you die, knowing I would lose you forever," he opened his eyes now, staring into mine. "Thinking of watching the stars without you, my soul cried." His voice broke and I leaned forward, my lips crashing into his. _

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't surprised to feel the moisture in them. I was surprised, though, to see that Eric was blinking a little rapidly. He recovered himself quickly, clearing his throat.

"This is all so strange," he mused. "Wonderful, but strange." I nodded in agreement. We were silent for a moment and then suddenly he was on his knees in front of me, his face level with mine. I was surprised but hid it well. He leaned in toward my face and I felt electric waves travel down my arms as my skin came alive. He never took his eyes from mine as he inched closer. I felt my heart leap into my throat and hitched in a tiny breath. I didn't know whether to stop him or close the distance myself; I had no idea what I wanted. A moment later, his lips met mine and I didn't need to wonder anymore.

He kissed me softly, his fingertips barely touching my chin. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the innocence of his kiss. I felt like I was home as my lips moved against his automatically, knowing the terrain well. He leaned forward a fraction, his head nudging mine so that I leaned back a bit. He slid his hand from my chin to my shoulder, his thumb gently tracing the hollow of my throat. I felt goosebumps fan out from the spot and reached forward, flattening my palms against his chest. I wasn't sure if what I was doing was wrong; could it be? It felt seriously right but would future Eric understand? Was future Eric even there anymore? Was I changing the future by being here? I was suddenly overwhelmed again and pulled away from him.

"Eric, I don't know if this is right," I sounded confused. Although my brain was undecided, my lady parts were perfectly certain that it was A-OK by them. He slowly stood and pulled his chair closer to mine, so he could sit facing me directly.

"I can't begin to understand the emotions you have being here," he told me and I'm not gonna lie; I was a little shocked that he didn't instantly try to persuade me. "I want to help you, I want you to be where you belong. Whether that's with me in the future, or with us now. I will do whatever I can to help you solve this," he told me. I bit my lip, nodding at him in thanks. "I do feel that you should bond with Godric, if it is agreeable to you. He is my Maker and, by extension, a part of you as well. He will undoubtedly be an asset to you in this, and bonding will only strengthen his abilities."

I took a moment to absorb what he'd said. I knew it was true, but I was still torn. I already had been feeling an attraction to Godric without a bond. I didn't even want to think about what would happen with one. After all, I'd vowed only a few short hours before that I would not sleep with Eric and there I was making out with him, not long after we'd bonded. I thought furiously for a few moments, really wanting to justify myself. I guessed it wasn't _necessarily_ wrong. I mean, it was Eric after all. True, he wasn't _my_ Eric, but he would be. Right? Oh this was a nice thorny patch I'd landed in. I couldn't say it was completely wrong, but I couldn't say it was completely right either. And I had no idea what to even begin to say on my attraction to Godric. I thought over Eric's words, realizing that Godric sort of was a part of me, after all. Maybe that's why I was feeling attracted to him now? Not for the first time, I missed Gran like crazy. What I wouldn't give to be able to talk this out with her. Even though she wouldn't be able to relate, being a human and all, she would be able to hash it out and give me good, honest advice. I sighed heavily, determined not to let the grief get me right then.

"I guess that makes sense," I answered Eric finally. I studied his face closely, trying to determine what he was thinking. I would have dropped my guards but it would only have perturbed me to hear but not understand the Swedish thoughts in his mind. "I don't want to be unfaithful to you," I blurted without thinking and again thanked my lucky stars vampires couldn't blush. About a split second later, I realized he would feel my embarrassment with or without blood rushing to my face and cursed the bond for the first of what I was sure would be many, many times. He gathered my hands into his own and held them lightly, looking into my eyes.

"Godric would not make advances if you did not welcome them," he responded. Me not welcoming them was _so_ not the issue and I opened my mouth to say as much when he spoke again. "And if you did welcome them, being with Godric would not be an infidelity to me. I love Godric, very much. He is my Maker, my brother," he said, his brow furrowing as he tried to find the right words. "He is a part of me, and I him. Sharing your love with him is natural, would you not agree?"

"I'm not," I started but found myself confused. My attraction to both Eric and Godric had just sort of happened, so I guess you could say it was natural. Hearing Eric explain it that way, it certainly made sense, but again I had to remind myself that this wasn't my Eric talking. I tried to determine what my Eric would say, 500 years down the line. My first thought was a scathing rebuke but then I thought again.

I remembered the adoration and respect he had for Godric and suddenly realized that perhaps he would think it was natural. Obviously at the time I'd met Godric, I hadn't been Eric's and even if I had been, that was no time to discuss anything like this. I switched back to my current situation and couldn't deny that a bond with Godric would help me, especially given his gift of intuition. My head was spinning and I would have killed for a cup of coffee. And the ability to drink it. Little things like the occasional coffee jones and my lack of a tan sometimes irritated me to no end.

"Do vampires not nest in your time?" he prompted, genuinely curious. I immediately thought of Malcom and his nest and suppressed a shudder. Then I thought of Godric's future nest, and the harmony there. Well, other than crazy Stan. Sophie Anne and her strange little family also entered my mind. While I hadn't been the biggest fans of Andre and the Berts, there was no denying the love between them all. It suddenly dawned on me that if I ended up being here for any stretch of time, that's exactly what the three of us would be. A nest.

"They do," I answered. "This is just very sudden," I said, yearning for that coffee again. "I don't really know what to think."

"I cannot tell you what to do and neither can I speak for the man I will become," he said in a low voice. "Though I can't imagine I will change a great deal as I am essentially the same as I was when Godric found me," here he had the grace to give me a little grin, which I couldn't help returning. "And if that's the case, I hereby give you my full permission to behave as wantonly as you desire with me now."

Somehow he managed to keep a straight face and I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd held his right hand up and said 'Scouts honor.' I rolled my eyes but couldn't help laughing at him. He gave me another one of those sunshine smiles and just then, we heard Godric accessing the tunnel. I took a deep breath, unnecessary though it was, and made my decision.

I would bond with Godric.

**Disclaimer: Part of 'Memory Eric's' lines are out of my favorite song ever, 'Kissing You' by Des'ree. If you haven't heard it, you really should go listen. So effin' good. And it's exactly what I hear in my head when I picture the car accident scene when he turned her. I hope you guys liked it but I'll never know if you don't tell me .. Hint, hint (heh). Thanks for reading!**


	15. In Which I Seal The Thracian Deal

**I made it! *Skids in sideways on a burning tire* Ok, I barely made it but still! I said I'd update today and here it is! Thank you all for the reviews, seriously I love them so much. Also, this just in: I'll be quitting my day job and taking blue-eyedgirl77 up on her generous offer of cupcakes and laundry services - I like chocolate icing! *hee* Seriously, though, love you guys and I hope you like this chapter! Also, side note, I have added the AU stipulation into the description of this story since there are some slight character deviations. CH/AB own all this stuff.**

Moments later, Godric came through the door. He dusted his arms off, smiling amiably at Eric and me.

"Have you come to any conclusions in my absence?" He looked between the two of us as he sat on the edge of the chest he'd brought in earlier, reminding me that I hadn't looked at the clothes inside it yet.

"I want to bond with you," I answered in a rush, surprising everyone. Including myself. I had certainly picked a fine time in my life to become Blurty McBlurtenstein. He smiled at me, with just the faintest hint of a flirt behind it.

"I would like that as well," he returned. "I think it will be a significant help in determining your reason for being here."

"As do I," Eric said, standing up and heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, slightly panicked at the prospect of him leaving. He turned and smiled down at me.

"As much as I enjoyed taking your blood, I'm afraid I require further sustenance. I have sufficient time to have a nip and make it back before first light," he informed me. I looked at him skeptically, wondering if that were really true or if he was discreetly trying to give us some privacy to complete the bond. I wasn't necessarily afraid of being alone with Godric, it was more like I was scared of the reaction I might have to bonding with him.

Just then, Godric spoke quietly to Eric in Swedish and Eric answered right back in the same language. I narrowed my eyes, not liking that one bit. Before I could rebuke them for their rudeness, Eric leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I will see you when you wake tomorrow. Sweet dreams," his eyes sparkled and I remembered that I'd been saying his name when I woke up that night. I spluttered a bit as I watched him disappear through the door. Godric chuckled softly from his perch on the chest. I shook my head slightly and had to smile.

"I don't mean to rush things along, but we haven't a great deal of time before you'll be needing sleep," he prodded gently. I nodded, perturbed by the fact that I wasn't in control of my body anymore. I hated that I had to sleep when it wanted to or pay the price of the bleeds. I knew he was right though, as I felt the first telltale signs of sleep stretching their fingers into my mind.

"That's ok, you're right. Would you like to sit on the bed as well?" I asked, not sure of the proper etiquette here. He gave me a wide smile, the adorable lines showing themselves on his face. I couldn't understand how I expected myself not to be attracted to him. I mean seriously. True, he was the polar opposite of Eric in looks, short and dark where Eric was tall and blonde, but that only meant I was stuck smack in the middle of The Hot As Hell Spectrum.

"We can complete the bond in this room, if you prefer. Eric, I'm afraid, has a slight flair for the dramatic," he confided, earning a genuine smile from me.

"I've always thought so, too," I told him. He nodded, relocating to the chair that Eric had vacated. Before he sat, he removed his jacket and loosened the ties of the shirt he was wearing under it. As he pulled it off altogether, he sat across from me. I tried to sneak a nonchalant peak at his chest, fascinated by his tattoos once again.

"Our warriors were archers," he told me. Apparently I was nowhere near as discreet as I'd thought. "I started training as soon as I could walk. I was given this tattoo the year before I was taken to Rome," he absentmindedly traced the collar of arrowheads around his neck. "This," he said, running his hand across the bands on his right bicep, "This is the prophecy told when I was born. My people believed in their gods very strongly, and at the birth of each intended warrior, our wise woman would deliver a prophecy for the babe. These runes record that prophecy and are tattooed when the child reaches the age of five." I wanted so badly to ask him what it read but I didn't want to interrupt his train of thought. "These represent the waves of the sea that gave us sustenance," he motioned to the jagged lines covering nearly all of his left bicep. He began to shift in his seat, the muscles of his torso flexing as he did so. In a the space of a heartbeat, I was standing behind his chair, not wanting him to be uncomfortable as he explained the tattoo on his back. He chuckled at my eagerness.

"Please continue," I said quietly, completely rapt. I looked at the long serpent-like creature tattooed down his back and realized that it had the head of a wolf.

"My people had a special totem, almost a rude coat of arms. It was constructed out of a wolf's head and a leather serpent shaped appendage. Our warriors carried it into battle and when the wind tore through the serpent, it produced a most terrifying sound. We used the wolf and the serpent because they were favored by Zalmoxis. He was a central god of our religion, a sky god. One of our most revered ceremonies was to shoot our arrows into the sky, clearing it of clouds so that he could see us more clearly. Watch over us and protect us. It was not lost on me that my family was destroyed on a stormy day. I thought for a long while that if only he could have seen what was happening to us that day, surely he'd have smote the Romans," he told me with a trace of regret in his voice. I had the strongest feeling of deja vous as I connected the fact that a major god of his people was of the sky to the fact that I had Sky Fae heritage. It was too large a coincidence to mean nothing, and I tucked it away for later examination. "And there on my right shoulder is the brand I received when I was sold." Before I could stop myself, my fingers were caressing the angry red mark on his skin.

He froze as my skin met his, but instantly relaxed into my touch. I could feel the indentations where the brand had seared into his flesh. Clearly it hadn't been gently done and had healed horribly when he'd been human. It was the only mar on his beautiful body and I was irrationally angry at it and the people who'd done it to him. As though he was the one who could read minds, he spoke to my exact thought.

"After I was made vampire, I hunted down each of the soldiers responsible for my capture and sale. Those who were not already dead wished they were by the time I was finished with them," his voice was eerily calm. "I found the ones who raped Leefa and my mother. I've never heard mention of anything that even approaches the horror I visited on them. Not in all my years."

I suppressed a shudder as my mind balked at the idea of trying to imagine what he'd done to them. He shook himself out of his reverie and craned around to look at me, trying a small smile on. "I apologize, I'm not certain what it is about you that causes me to confess my memories this way," he admitted, seemingly puzzled. I, too, had wondered about his willingness to confide in me but wasn't sure if it was anything out of the ordinary.

"Don't apologize, " I told him. "I want to know you, I want to know about you," I admitted both to him and to myself.

"And I you. But I digress from the business of the evening," he replied, standing to face me. I took a step toward him before I realized I still wasn't sure how he wanted to be situated. He reached out to me and I put my hand in his. A moment later, he gently pulled me toward him, spinning me slightly so that when I stopped, I was standing with my back to him. He reached his right arm in front of me and I held onto his wrist. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and let my fangs drop for the third time that night. I stood there for a moment, adjusting myself to the idea of actually going through with the bonding. I felt his lips brush against my ear just before he whispered, "Do it."

I hesitated no more. My fangs slid into the skin of his forearm and I nearly blacked out at the taste of his blood. It was different than Eric's, but the same. It was much sweeter and had a foreign tinge but I could taste the same undertones that Eric's wilder blood had. I could hear myself moan as my mouth filled with the thick liquid and I felt him gently pull me back against him so that the lengths of our bodies were touching. I swallowed a few mouthfuls before I felt him gently brush my hair away from my shoulder and slide the neckline of my nightgown over to bare the skin. I dimly registered that Eric was ruled by passion, whereas Godric seemed to be the master of his. His touch was deliberate but still very gentle.

I heard his fangs click into place and a moment later, they were in my shoulder. My knees buckled when I felt him draw and I heard him groan softly in his throat. There was a heavy pulsing low in my stomach and goosebumps all over my skin as he carefully lowered himself into the chair behind him, pulling me down on top of him. Again, my body completely defied my wishes by squirming into his lap and I could feel his pelvis slowly raising up to meet me. His left arm was securely around my waist, holding me in place. I could feel my orgasm building, even though I tried to keep it at bay. I knew if I simply disengaged, I would recover myself but I couldn't let go just yet. Either a few moments or a lifetime later, I couldn't tell which, it didn't really matter anymore. I tumbled over the edge, whimpering against his skin and feeling grotesquely self conscious about it. I leaned away from his arm and realized he'd already pulled free of my neck. I silently collected myself for a moment before he spoke.

"Everything about what we've done is natural," he said behind me. "It's the reaction you are intended to have." Damn stupid bond. Already it was being a bitch. I nodded curtly and stood from his lap. In an instant, he was standing in front of me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "I know that you are apprehensive about this. About me. I understand and I will not try to persuade you one way or another. I feel an affinity to you, a connection. I can't explain it but I can feel it and I think that you do as well." He looked into my eyes very soberly.

"I do feel it," I told him honestly. I couldn't explain it either but I felt a definite connection with him. He nodded slightly.

"I thought so. I am not certain why you are here or how you came to be here but I know it must be for a reason. We will find that reason, we will find your purpose. I don't want you to be scared while you are with us. We will keep you safe and do everything we can to help you," the sincerity in his voice was touching and I nodded my understanding. His voice dropped a bit as he continued. "When you told me of my death, I was affected. But I wasn't surprised. Already I feel weary of this life at times. I've responded to it with violence. Cruelty. Killing. Eric is still young enough to revel in the lust of it and even I have not lost all desire for it.

"But the feeling I felt when I saw you, that is the feeling that has been eluding me. The feeling that I have chased. I felt alive at that moment. And the feeling is stronger than it has been in decades. I wonder if you could be my unintended choice to live my life extended," his voice was nearly a whisper by the end of his musings and though he was staring into my eyes, he was far away from me at that moment

I felt the intensity of his words and wondered if that _was_ why I was here. To give him something to live for. It was a heavy thought and I couldn't prove or disprove it just then. He shook himself slightly back to the moment and smiled at me. "And I accuse Eric of being fanciful." I snorted a laugh at that. "You're tired now, I imagine." On cue, I yawned a yawn to rival that of a grizzly bear and nodded at him. He took my hand and led me into the bedroom.

"Thank you, for bonding with me. And for keeping me safe," I told him as he pulled the covers back for me. He turned to face me.

"Thank you for coming to us, unintentional though that choice might have been," his eyes glittered at me and I had to physically stop myself from caressing his cheek. "Now to bed with you before you get those troublesome bleeds," he said in a lighter voice. I chuckled as I climbed into the bed and then he did something that no one had done for me since I was a little girl. He tucked me in.

"Good night, Godric," I said softly, looking up into his face hovering above me.

"Good night, Sookie," he said. He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss against my lips. He stayed just long enough for me to feel the fullness of his mouth against mine and then he was gone from the room. I didn't have time to think about how I felt about it before I died for the day.

**Side note: It is scary how all the info regarding Godric's original people worked out to fit in with the story SO well. Seriously, google it if you don't believe me! I admit I didn't cross research it, so if you find anything that doesn't jive, that would be why. The Swedish bits? Godric told Eric that Sookie was afraid for him to leave. Eric responded that she needed to spend time alone with Godric.**

**Also, I stole a line for Godric from Muse's 'Unintended' which honestly gives me my entire inspiration for the Godric/Sookie thing we have going on here. The line is "You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended." Y'all should give it a listen. I can't wait to see what happens next lol. Hope you guys liked it but until I get my superpowers, I won't know unless you review =)**


	16. In Which I Take A Medieval Skinny Dip

**Hey guys! Here's a pre-True Blood distraction for ya! Thanks as always for the reviews, I love them almost as much as I love amnesia Eric (**_**almost**_**). I hope you guys enjoy this one! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

Eric approached me slowly, almost as if he was trying not to scare me. I stayed still in the middle of the front room, watching him walk out of the bedroom. When he was finally in front of me, he stopped. We regarded each other for a moment before he bent his head to mine, softly kissing my lips. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the familiar feel of him. I felt his hands slide slowly down my shoulders and the length of my arms, onto my hips before holding me gently. I reached one hand up to run my fingers through his hair, all the while never breaking our kiss.

I was only slightly startled when I felt a kiss on my neck, then I realized that it was Godric and I relaxed into it. His hands found their way around my front as his lips trailed kisses along the bare skin of my shoulder. I traced my free hand along his forearm and let it settle over his as it lightly covered my breast . Eric's hands slid down to gently grip my bottom and Godric's other hand slid slowly but surely down my stomach, with an obvious final destination in mind. I shuddered and tilted my head back, finally breaking the kiss with Eric as the intensity of the feelings grew. He immediately shifted his mouth to my neck and squeezed his hands tighter. My body didn't know whether to grind forward into Eric or backwards into Godric and I ended up squirming in place for a just a moment before fingers found my center and I unintentionally moaned.

Which effectively woke me up. I snapped my eyes open to find that I was thoroughly tangled in the sheets and I fought frantically to get loose for a few seconds before I finally tumbled sideways out of the bed altogether, landing on my feet by sheer dumb luck. I was confused, disoriented, and so not ready to be awake after that dream. I self consciously straightened my nightgown out and tried to smooth my hair down as I realized that neither Godric nor Eric were in the bedroom. _Thank you, Jesus_. I spared a glance in the mirror above the basin, smoothing my hair once more, before I walked into the front room.

Eric and Godric had positioned the chairs on either side of the trunk that still held my mystery wardrobe. They each had small, leather-bound books in their hands but instead of feeling studious, I was getting an extremely amused vibe through my bonds. They both had their eyes glued to the pages of their books and were wearing remarkably poker-faced expressions. I narrowed my eyes, hoping against hope that I hadn't been talking in my sleep again.

"Good evening," I said, still standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Good evening," they answered in unison, still utterly absorbed by whatever the hell they were 'reading'. After a moment's silence, Eric apparently could hold back no longer.

"Sleep well?" he asked, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a mischievous grin as he continued to study the page of his book with his eyebrows raised. I noticed Godric fighting to keep his expression neutral and knew that I had been verbal. Oh the shame! I inwardly cursed myself and thought quickly of how to respond.

"Ha ha, hilarious," I decided to go Pam on his ass and see how he liked that. I wondered briefly if perhaps Pam had been a sweet girl when he'd found her but had turned into a Master of Smart Assery by necessity. Clearly, prolonged exposure to Past Eric really brought out the sarcasm in a person. I rolled my eyes for good measure before adding, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

I may have said it in a sultry voice. I strolled over nonchalantly to lean against the table.

I may have inadvertently hitched my nightgown up a bit, exposing more leg than was strictly necessary.

They were looking at me now, all right. Curiosity with a pinch of lust was on both of their faces. "Whatcha reading?" I asked.

I may have had a small smirk on my face.

A lot of throat clearing and page flipping ensued and all I gathered was some mumbling about Petrarch and Alighieri. Now that the shoe was securely on the other foot, I decided to move forward with the conversation. "So what is on our agenda for the evening?"

"We must go to the palace," Godric was the first to fully recover his wits. "Anne has requested Eric's presence specifically and of course, there is a banquet."

"Ok, what's going on with Anne?" I decided point blank was the best approach here. I knew there was something up and I didn't have time to waste if I wanted to make it home anytime soon. And I did want to make it home. Didn't I? I did, I definitely did. Right? Godric looked pointedly at Eric, apparently inviting him to take the lead.

"Anne is very familiar with me," Eric said slowly. "I do not mean that I have known her, as I have not. It is difficult to explain. In a way it seems that we have known each other in the past. Similar to an old acquaintance. I am not certain why she feels this way, however she has recently been becoming progressively more forward. More familiar." I squinted my eyes a bit, sensing his confusion and realizing that he really couldn't explain it much better. I looked at Godric to see that he was still staring intently at Eric's face.

"Well that's good, because you realize what a nightmare could be caused by you having relations with her, right?" I asked, not completely out of jealousy but because it was true. He nodded tersely. "Henry is going to go a little crazy within the next couple of years. She will be accused of incest and her brother George will be beheaded over the allegations. She also will be put to death for treason," I informed them, to illustrate my point. They looked like I just walked over their graves, so I continued. "Henry will divorce Catherine on grounds of non-consummation. He will then marry Anne and make her queen. She will fail to produce a mail heir, though she will give birth to Elizabeth. Elizabeth will become known as the greatest ruler England ever had but as far as Henry is concerned, he needs a son. When Anne has miscarriage after miscarriage, he will accuse her of adultery and incest and eventually have her beheaded."

"Surely he cannot be so foolish," Godric intoned.

"Oh but he can. And he will," I answered. "So the important thing is to keep a strict hands-off policy when it comes Anne. I know that we could glamour it away if anything got out but why take the chance?" They both nodded in agreement. "That's basically all I know on the topic of the Tudors. I do know that he marries two or three more times but I can't recall who. I think the next one after Anne is named Jane and she is Anne's cousin or something like that but I'm not certain." They absorbed that information quietly for a moment.

"Very well," Eric finally said, breaking the silence. "You must ready yourself to attend. Do you require assistance?"

"I'm sure I will when it comes to getting dressed but is that pond nearby? The one you found me at?" It seemed like it was a hundred years ago so it was strange to realize it had been only two nights before.

"Yes, it's very close," Eric answered, clearly puzzled by my question.

"Do I have time to bathe in it?" I couldn't stand the idea of not taking a bath. He smiled at my request.

"Of course, that is where we typically bathe as well. Is that how you bathe in the future?" he asked. Before I could stop myself, I had a vivid flash of a very specific shower. I quickly changed my train of thought but I could tell by the sharpened focus on both of their faces that I was a split second too late.

"Uh, yeah, more or less," my voice was slightly higher pitched than usual, so I cleared my throat. "I mean, we have facilities indoors. We have tubs, which hold water like a basin sort of, only the water comes directly out of the tub, already hot. And then we have showers, which spray fresh water on you continuously. Those are nice," I finished a little lamely, nonchalantly studying every available item in the room that wasn't either one of their faces. Eric hummed in his throat, a sound I knew very well.

"I see," he was amused. Apparently, I was a walking riot tonight. "Will you require a guide to the water?" I rolled my eyes yet again.

"If you could just tell me the direction, I think I'll be all right," I assured him. He cocked an eyebrow and I had to fight to keep a serious face.

"It's east," Godric supplied. "Also, we have some toiletries here that you are welcome to use. Eric?" Moments later, Eric handed me a small basket with a towel and some kind of soap in it.

"Thank you," I told him. "I'll be back directly." With that, I was out the door and heading east. In just a few moments of running at full speed, I found the water and stripped off my clothes. Keeping a much more careful ear out than the last time I'd been there, I slid smoothly into the water. It felt so good to just submerge myself that I decided to swim for a few moments before I got straight to washing off.

It was such a relaxing feeling to float on my back, my hair floating out around me, feeling weightless for a moment. The sky was velvet black as I stared up at it and the stars were shining like rebel diamonds, cut out of the sun. I waved my fingers slowly in the water, feeling the cool liquid soak some of the tension out of my body and I sighed a relaxed sigh. I could almost forget my situation for a moment.

Almost.

There was just so much to think about. First, why I was here. Second, what was happening to Eric in the future. Third, ways to slowly torture my brother to death. Fourth, what was going to happen between me and Eric here. Fifth, what was going to happen between me and Godric here. Sixth, what I wanted to happen with either of them versus the right thing to do. Seventh, exactly what the right thing to do was.

Answers, I needed answers and had exactly no way to get them. As I floated through the water, comparing the silence of the wood surrounding me to the chaotic din within my mind, I decided to stop worrying. Honestly, what good was it going to do? So far, stressing myself out hadn't done diddly squat to get me back to my own time. I needed to calm down and take things as they came.

I agreed with Godric that there must be a reason I was here. I would just have to let it reveal itself and try to work through it once I figured it out. There really wasn't anything else I could do. Having come to that conclusion, my mind actually eased a little and I brought out the next topic for examination.

Godric's sky god. What was that about? I knew that plenty of ancient cultures worshipped multiple gods and that basically every one of them had a sky god. It just seemed too coincidental that one of his central gods was of the sky. And that it was because of that god that his people were archers. And that he had arrowheads tattooed around his neck as a direct result of the sky worshipping. And that I was descendant of the sky Fae. Something was waiting to be added together here, I just couldn't seem to get a hold of it.

A thought struck me that I was surprised I hadn't had yet. I could potentially meet with Niall. He was definitely alive at that time, but I had no idea what kind of sentiments he bore toward vampires or what his relationship with Eric and Godric might be like. Then there was the added fact that he would have no idea who I was and wasn't a very trusting type of guy. I remembered that Godric had seemed especially interested to know that Niall was alive in my time and I wondered if perhaps his survival didn't look good just then. Was the war going on? I struggled to remember details but I couldn't seem to put anything together. I would ask them how they felt about arranging a meeting and if it would even be possible at my first opportunity.

After coming to that conclusion, I decided to get down to business and swam back to the little basket to get the soap. As I was lathering up my hair, vaguely wishing there was a scent to the rough soap they had given me, I heard a noise. It was very faint and far away, but I definitely heard it. I tensed immediately but continued to scrub at my scalp. I could feel a presence and tried to reach out with my mind to see if I could hear any thoughts. I couldn't get anything, which drew the conclusion that they were either too far away or already gone by the time I reached out. I hadn't picked up a particular scent, so I ruled out that it was an animal that had happened by.

Sufficiently creeped out by that, I rinsed my hair in a hurry and finished up in the water within moments. I scrubbed myself dry with the towel and threw the nightgown back over my head so I could hightail it back to the lair. I also had a quick mental giggle at calling it a lair; that would never get old.

I arrived in a few moments and stealthily made my way down the tunnel. I made sure to securely lock up behind me, still kind of jittery about who or whatever that was in the woods. When I got into the main room, they were still in the chairs and reading. I realized that there really wasn't much else for them to be doing and felt a little sorry for them. I personally loved to read but it would probably get on my nerves a bit if that was literally my only option. I also noted that they were both resplendently dressed for court.

Godric was wearing a deep gray overcoat and matching pants, made of velvet. Apparently that was the in fashion fabric as Eric, too, was clad in it and I'd noticed plenty of it at the castle previously. His hose were a light shimmery gray color that matched his undershirt perfectly. Dark red cufflinks were pinned to his sleeves. Rubies? And the color accented his attire perfectly. Eric was dressed in the same style but with navy blue velvet and what I assumed were sapphires in his cufflinks. As handsome as they both looked, I had a pang of longing for the days of tight jeans and muscle shirts that lay before us and inwardly swooned. Which earned me two very interested glances. I had to remember that there really wasn't anything I could do 'inwardly' now, thanks to the bonds I'd created.

"Hello," I said in a cheery voice, hoping we could gloss over that. "I think someone was watching me in the woods," I added, before they could respond. Their already intent gazes sharpened further at that.

"Explain," Eric ordered. I did a little gaze narrowing of my own at the tone of his voice. "Please." He added, realizing that he'd perturbed me. I raised my eyebrows, surprised that he'd made the concession. I might get used to this Eric after all.

"I was washing my hair and heard a distinct noise, like a twig snapping or something like that. It was some distance away and I couldn't get a scent or a read on any thoughts. But there was definitely someone, or something, there for a moment," I told them, sitting the basket on the table and folding my arms. "I finished up and came back here immediately. And I locked the doors behind me." Not that I could think of a single thing that would pose a threat to the three of us together. Yes, Godric and Eric were plenty formidable enough on their own, but I still had my fairy light and strength up my sleeve. It might burn quickly but it was nothing to fool around with while it lasted.

"We'll have to be more careful," Godric decided. "Next time one or both of us will accompany you." I had to seriously fight the impulse to tell him I didn't need a babysitter, thank you very much. Luckily, I remembered all of the times in the past (future?) that I would have been so much better off had I had a babysitter and kept my lips sealed. I glanced into the bedroom and saw that the bed was covered with mounds of icy blue fabric. Eric must have followed my gaze because he spoke just then.

"I took the liberty of selecting your attire for the evening. If you do not fancy it, you can choose another," he said. Had I not known him better, I would have thought his tone was a tad on the shy side.

"No, I'm sure it will be perfect. I'll try to get into most of it, but I will definitely need help lacing it up," I said lamely, glancing between them. They nodded and I flitted into the bedroom.

The dress was gorgeous. The underpart of it was a very pale blue velvet but it was covered over with a satin-like sheeny material of the same color. The satin split in the front to show the velvet, quite like the dress Mrs. Cotillard had given me the first night. There sleeves were short and puffed and I had to stifle a giddy giggle as I realized how much it looked like Cinderella's dress. I ran my fingers over it, strangely exited to put it on. Looking at the underthings, though, elicited an emotion as opposite of excited as it could get.

After a full ten minutes of struggling, squeezing, shimmying and cursing out loud, I finally got everything on. I had the dress loose about my waist, unable to go any further with it by myself. Luckily, the girdle I had on underneath covered everything so I wasn't exposed at all when I called for Eric. He appeared in seconds, deftly cinching, tying and tucking me into the dress. Again, I suppressed the acid thoughts I had regarding how he'd become such an expert at clothing women of this time and decided to just thank him instead.

I turned to face him and took no small satisfaction from the fact that he was eyeballing his handiwork closely. "Thank you so much for your assistance," I said sweetly. His eyes locked on mine and I recognized the look in them all too well. The intensity dazed me for a moment before he pulled in the reins.

"You're quite welcome," he bowed slightly and I remembered that I still had no effing clue how to curtsey. Damn it straight to hell. After Eric was back in the front room, I went to the mirror only to realize I had no clue what to do with my hair. I was basically just running my fingers through it when Godric appeared in the mirror behind me.

"May I?" He asked, nodding toward my golden locks. I smiled gratefully at him and nodded. He immediately began braiding and even with my vampire speed, I had a hard time keeping up with his movements. In only a few moments, all of my abundant hair was braided tightly around the crown of my head, secured with a pin he'd produced from somewhere. It shined like gold and looked amazing. I touched it lightly and met his eyes in the mirror.

"It looks beautiful," I breathed, amazed at the intricate patterns.

"Leefa's favorite," he told me softly. I dipped my head briefly in thanks and looked back into the mirror. While I was studying my reflection, his hands reached around either side of my and fastened a gorgeous diamond collar around my neck. I couldn't help gasping at it and I immediately refused the gift.

"Godric, this is beautiful, really, but I can't take it," I told him, shaking my head slightly.

"Nonsense," was his only reply. I opened my mouth to argue further but he had already vanished from sight. Sneaky vampire. I grumbled loudly enough for him to hear from the other room that he hadn't heard the end of it as I carefully stepped into the slippers that Eric had laid out for me. I really felt like a princess and admitted to myself that there were worse times I could have woken up in. When I walked into the front room, it was like time stopped. They froze looking at me, I froze looking at them, and if anybody'd had a Mason jar, you could have swiped it through the air and had it chock full of desire. They were, well, dashing, as they stood beside each other, staring at me. Though I typically didn't enjoy being the center of attention, I had to admit that I was rather flattered. After a few moments of studying each other, I came back to my senses a little.

"Shall we?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and giving them a genuine smile.

"We shall," Eric answered. With that, we were through the tunnel and on our way to the palace. Most of the journey went by in a blur as I started to fret over the whole curtsey BS and before I knew what was going on, we were being ushered into the banquet hall. My hand securely tucked in the crook of Eric's elbow once again and so I was keenly aware of the exact moment he turned into a statue next to me.

I looked up at him, startled, and followed his gaze directly to Anne. She was sitting on her 'throne' once again but she looked completely different than she when I'd seen her two nights ago. Her skin was luminous, her hair was glossy as obsidian, and her gestures were even more graceful. I realized with a sick drop in my stomach what was going on.

She'd had vampire blood.

**Say whaaaaaat? Uh-oh! Haha! Hope you guys liked this one, the plot is finally starting to kick in. I decided to make it longer than usual base on your feedback that my chapters were too short. I can't guarantee I will always be able to make them longer, but this one worked out that way so I left it. Also, I stole a line from the song Read My Mind by The Killers; the stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun. Please let me know what you thought! Now focus, it's almost time for True Blood. *rubs hands together in anticipation* Thank you so much for reading!**


	17. In Which I Become Betrothed

**SO sorry for the delay! I really have nothing to say for myself. Please forgive me. I'm giving you all a serious boo-boo lip right now, FYI. But look what I brought! (see chapter below hehe). It's not super long but it's sort of transitioning us to where we need to be. Thank you all for your lovely reviews, I heart them so much. I hope you like this one and if anyone has any ideas, feel free to toss them out there! I'm shameless. I've used them before and I'll use them again! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

What. The. Hell. How had she possibly had vampire blood? Clearly Eric hadn't given it to her; he was just as shocked as I was. And I was pretty damn sure that if Godric had done it, he would have mentioned it to us. Neither of them had said anything about another vampire in the city. I seriously doubted that there were any jurisdictions set at this point in time, so I guess it wouldn't have been unheard of for vamps to drift in and out of the same areas without announcing themselves. Although it was pretty effin' rude.

Eric quickly recovered and continued into the room and I glided right beside him. Godric undoubtedly had sensed what was going on from his position behind us and I would have dearly loved to have a word with them about it but that was out of the question. With Anne clearly having had the blood very recently, there was no telling how keen her hearing would be. I cast around to see if I could get a read on a vampire mind but came up with nothing. Once we got over to Anne, I would pick her brain to see what I could find but from here it would be grating to try to pick out her thoughts. With the room being so packed, I would be much better off to keep my shields up until we were closer.

I looked up at Eric as we continued through the crowd. He looked straight ahead but nodded infinitesimally, confirming that he'd seen it too. I straightened my back and gripped his arm as we continued forward. We stopped every few feet for Eric to greet people. Each time, he would introduce me as his sister and I would smile blandly and nod. I wasn't really keen on using any more Old School Fancy Talk than I absolutely had to. Much sooner than I'd anticipated, we were standing in front of Anne. Henry was conspicuously absent, his throne empty. Eric was on my right, Godric came forward to stand on my left, and basically in unison, we said, "My lady."

Eric and Godric bowed gracefully while I did the Medieval Hokey Pokey, looking around uncomfortably and hoping no one noticed as I put my left leg in and I shook it all about. I met Anne's gaze reluctantly to see that she was studying me closely. I dipped into her mind to see that she was wondering about my mental faculties. A-hole. In a flash of inspiration, I tried my death stare on her but it was to no avail. I glanced to the side to see Eric looking at me curiously and quickly plastered my crazy Sookie smile on my face. I made a mental note that if and when I finally got the stare right, I would try it on Anne. Right after the prostitute from The Little Rose. Yeah, I hadn't forgotten about her either.

"Good evening, Mr. Northman, Mr. Pictwell," she smiled a very Cheshire cat-like smile at them before looking back at me. "Sookie, my darling. How do you fare this night?" I wasn't a huge fan of her tone.

"Very well, my lady. You are looking exceptionally well this evening," I said pointedly. I kept my shield down so I could read her thoughts but still wasn't getting anything regarding vampires or our blood. Although she was pretty shocked at my coherent sentence. I fought to keep from sticking my tongue out at her. It was a tough battle, but I won it.

"Thank you, my dear. Please, won't you sit down," she gestured to the seats lined up to the side of the dais. It took us only a few moments to be seated and then there was a brief silence before Godric spoke.

"Anne, forgive me if I'm forward, but you are looking exceptionally lovely this evening," he let his statement hang in the air. If there had been any thoughts to trigger, that would have done it. Instead, she was trying to decide if he was hitting on her. I probed deeper into her mind, thinking it was awfully strange that she wasn't putting two and two together. She'd clearly had vampire blood and whomever she'd gotten it from would have quite a few things in common with us. The connection should have been made. When I felt the familiar haze in her mind, I knew immediately she'd been glamoured.

"Why, Mr. Pictwell, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were being quite forward. A bachelor such as yourself," her voice was sharp but her gaze was sharper. She'd decided he was flirting and she didn't like it, although she too had noticed that she was noticeably more attractive of late. Due to the glamouring, she had no clue why that was, but she had noticed. She was also wondering if Godric had always been interested and she'd somehow failed to notice.

I clenched my jaw briefly when she had the fleeting thought that it was too bad she was in her situation with Henry and didn't want to jeopardize it, because she wouldn't mind a liaison with Godric. Or Eric, she thought, when her eyes flitted over to his face briefly before returning to Godric's. Between my rekindled desire to death stare her ass to the ground and a fleeting question of how big a faux pas it would be to drop kick her right out of her throne, I wondered if that was truly her thinking or a side effect of the blood. A human taking a vampire's blood always felt a sexual attraction to that vampire in particular, but it also increased the desire for Happy Time in general.

"Ah, a bachelor no more, I'm afraid," he said, reaching over and clasping my hand. What the - "Miss Northman has accepted my proposal of marriage," he looked over at me, his face charmingly lit with a genuine smile. I smiled warmly back at him, hoping the 'WTF' wasn't showing too clearly on my face.

"Oh?" Anne asked, raising one elegant eyebrow. "I hadn't realized you were planning to offer."

"To be honest, I had little hope that she would accept," he said, never taking his eyes off of my face. "Though in speaking with Eric and learning that he had no objections at all and that the lady herself was not opposed, I dared to let my hopes take flight. I have loved her from afar for some time. Finally, I asked her and she consented to be mine," at that, he looked directly at Anne. "She is mine," there was a reason he'd chosen those words and I could only assume it was a warning to whomever she'd taken the blood from. "And I hers. We are bonded one to the other."

Anne's eyes narrowed infinitesimally as she processed his statement. She was confused by the formal phrasing he'd used and though she did push it back quickly, she had a tinge of jealousy for a brief second. If my head hadn't been reeling at his snap decision, I may have gloated a bit. As it was, all of my attention was focused on playing it cool. She glanced over at Eric, something I couldn't do at the moment, and in a quick flash of memory, I learned why she acted 'familiar' with him, as he'd put it.

She had met him at court in France, when she was a little girl. I recalled that she had spent a large portion of her youth in France, returning to England when she was about 15 or 16. She met Eric when she was a little girl and he obviously hadn't changed at all when she met him again here. He didn't remember her because she'd been no more than a little girl, which was truly a mistake I couldn't believe he'd made, but she knew now that he was different. Obviously, he was not a man you could easily forget. She'd spent the last two years trying to determine what was different about him because she wanted it. She wanted to be forever young in addition to the power she so desperately craved through Henry. I was shocked that Eric hadn't realized this or that Godric hadn't picked up on anything. Though of course, they had known that something was off. But without that key piece of information, they hadn't been able to figure what it was.

I suddenly realized that I was staring at Anne so hard that even my foreign ways couldn't account for it, so I abruptly looked away, studying the crowd. I'd been so focused on picking that story out of her mind that I hadn't heard her response to Godric's groundbreaking news and realized that she'd probably told me congratulations. Hopefully either Eric or Godric had smoothed that over. I wasn't even totally sure what the current topic of discussion was. I did know that Godric still held my hand in his, though.

I wondered if the whole engaged ruse was really necessary, but then figured he probably knew best. Intuition wasn't anything to take lightly, especially in the form of a gift. I knew it would be best to trust his lead. I couldn't help but note that the only times I'd even come close to being married were fake. There was now and then that time at the Fellowship of the Sun. Would it be too much to freaking ask to get one single honest proposal, for crying out loud? I didn't think so. I squinted briefly at the side of Eric's head as I was reminded there were plenty of times he could have asked. I tucked the thought into my 'Bones To Be Picked At A Later Date' jar and went back to perusing the crowd.

I noticed Mr. Brandon standing in a corner of the room, talking with a few other gents and was struck with inspiration. I watched him for a moment, hoping he would notice me and make his way over. Since he was the only person I'd officially met and spoken with, I just might be able to coax some information out of him. Or at least probe his brain to see if he might have noticed a handsome stranger at court in the last day or so. Luckily, he glanced up and caught my gaze, smiling very genuinely as he did so. I smiled back and tipped my head slightly at him. I watched while he muttered a parting to the people he was with before starting toward me. I turned my head back forward, very clearly recalling he memory of my conversation with him from my first night here. Godric squeezed my hand ever so slightly, letting me know he was seeing what I was sharing and I could tell from Eric's slightly stiffened posture that he did too. I could only hope they'd put two and two together when Brandon approached.

"My lady," Brandon said to Anne, moments later.

"My dear Mr. Brandon," she acknowledged. He turned to face the three of us in our chairs.

"Pictwell, Northman. Miss Northman," he nodded respectfully. I smiled at him as Godric and Eric returned his greeting.

"Have you heard Mr. Pictwell and Miss Northman's happy news, Mr. Brandon?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I squinted my eyebrows in the age-old 'what the H' gesture before schooling my face into a benign smile. Probably wasn't a good idea to make faces at Anne Boleyn, after all. A quick read revealed that when she'd seen me smile at Brandon, she assumed I was sweet on the guy, so she decided to put me on Front Street. I could barely restrain from rolling my eyes at her antics, and thought suddenly that Pam was truly a product of her environment. She would have been part of all this catty court intrigue in her day, and I just bet not a single courtesan within a 50 mile radius had dared to fucketh with her.

"I haven't had the pleasure," Brandon answered, still smiling mildly. Anne flashed the second Cheshire grin of the night in my direction while I wondered briefly what exactly I'd done to tick her off. I smiled back and looked at Brandon.

"We are engaged to be married," I said sweetly. His smile grew.

"Congratulations!" he boomed, clapping Godric on the back. "Finally, your parents will be at ease," he smiled at me. I nodded sweetly and noticed Anne's smile falter when she didn't get the crushing scene she'd anticipated. Again I struggled to keep my tongue in my mouth. After some manly conversation between Eric, Godric, and Brandon, I caught his attention.

"My dear Mr. Brandon, would you mind terribly having another walk in the gardens with me? I feel as though I need to catch up on the intrigues here at court and I'm afraid my betrothed and my dear brother would be reluctant to leave our dear lady's side," I said with a knowing smile aimed in Anne's direction. I hoped that my phrasing conveyed clearly to Eric and Godric exactly what I was planning on.

"Of course!" he agreed immediately. "That is, if you're not opposed, Pictwell," he amended. I noted with amusement that no matter what, I wasn't considered responsible for myself in this time. When I was 'single', Eric had been in charge. Now that I was betrothed, Godric was in charge. I smiled ruefully at how drastically customs had changed (would change?) before standing. With Godric's aid, of course. He assured Brandon that he was not opposed as he handed me off. Anne, though, wasn't quite finished trying to be an a-hole.

"Mr. Northman, are you certain you don't wish to accompany your dear sister?" she asked and I dipped into her head again, trying to figure out what her beef was. Surprisingly enough, I couldn't find anything. Apparently she was just malicious.

"I think she's perfectly capable, my lady," he answered smoothly. Anne began to speak.

"I insist, nay, demand that both my brother and betrothed stay to keep thee company, my liege," I decided I better throw in a little goofy phrasing so she didn't get too suspicious. She blinked, clearly not accustomed to being spoken over or having someone demand something of her. Before she could respond, I turned on my heel and trudged through the crowd, towing Mr. Brandon behind me.

I had some serious recon to do if we wanted to figure out who the mystery vampire was.

**A/N There you have it. I basically needed a segue and this chapter was it! Let me know what you thought, please, and I will let you know what happens next! Sounds like a deal to me.. Thanks for reading =)**


	18. In Which I Have My Cake And Eat It Too

**Hello lovelies. This is a Future Eric POV chapter, prompted by the lovely Erin1705 =) Thanks very much for reminding me! And thanks to everyone for the reviews/alerts/favoriting. Y'all have no idea the amount of pep you put in my step every time you do that. I hope you all like this one and remember, CH/AB own all this stuff.**

Three nights. I'd been forced to wait three nights to see her. I am many things. Patient is not near the top of the list. However, I had made it through and was moments away from an audience with the Ancient Pythoness. I sat in an antechamber at the palace she was kept in, thinking.

I had resolved many times over the course of the last three nights to fly back to Louisiana and kill Sookie's brother on principal, only to talk myself out of it each time. I knew when I got her back she would be pissed if he was dead and as endearing as I found her to be when she was pissed, I had to admit that murdering her brother might tip her over the edge. Deserving though he may be.

Thinking of Sookie being angry brought to mind the instance she had most pissed, and coincidentally hilarious. Though, admittedly, I didn't find it funny in the least at the time. It was just after I'd turned her. When she'd woken, she'd been disbelieving and upset. When I tried to explain myself, I experienced a very rare moment of emotional overload myself. That episode had ended satisfactorily, with very passionate lovemaking. One of the things that I would never tire of with Sookie would be her capacity for passion. She constantly surprised me sexually, never behaving the way I expected her to. It was tantalizing, to say the least.

However, shortly afterward, she quite quickly became irate again. An unfortunate side effect of the newly made vampire. To explain what happened next, I can only assume she was experiencing too many emotions to process at once. Or she'd gone temporarily bat-shit crazy. One is as plausible as the other, though Pam's money was on bat-shit.

She'd insisted on going directly to her home, so I followed her. I took an ear-beating the likes of which I hadn't suffered since my human days the entire way there, but I let her rant. I'd known she would be angry and rightly so. We had discussed the possibility of turning her while she'd been human and it was something neither of us wanted. When I told her I'd acted on reflex, I wasn't lying. The thought of her not being with me was offensive and when I saw her fading away from me, I acted by instinct. So, I was prepared for her raving.

I wasn't prepared for her to start eating food, though, which is exactly what she did. Apparently somewhere in her brain, she was clinging to the hope that if she didn't acknowledge the fact that she was now vampire, then she wouldn't actually be vampire. Like I said, emotional overload or bat-shit crazy. I was nearly in a panic at the time between the eventual sickness she was causing herself and the worry that she'd been too far gone when I'd acted. The only thing worse than losing Sookie forever would be a having created a Bubba-like Sookie; a cruel parody of the woman I'd loved so fiercely. I recalled the incident in perfect detail, as I did all of my many memories.

_"I really wish you wouldn't do that!" I shouted at her from across the table in her small dining room. She grabbed two more handfuls of cake and shoved them into her mouth, which was already nearly too full to close. She chewed grossly, making a face at me from across the room. I threw my hands up, exasperated. "You're going to be spectacularly sick! Oh you are going to be sorry for that!"_

_I was pacing, running my hands roughly through my hair, and she was chewing to beat hell. She swallowed a huge mouthful of half masticated cake and nearly gagged on it. It had to taste horrible, worse than horrible. I could practically see it scraping down her throat, sticking in her gullet. She kept it together, though, and managed to get it down. I was about to speak, try to reason with her when she looked at me in triumph and then crammed another handful of cake in._

_'Stop! All right!" I roared, bringing my fists down on the tabletop. I was very close to full blown panic at that point, certain by then that she wasn't right, that something was off. She chewed wildly for a few seconds before swallowing that mouthful as well._

_"Say you're a liar," she said in a level voice, staring me down._

_"I will not and you know better than this," I said, motioning to the platter of cake roughly with one arm. She hesitated for a moment and then shot her hand out toward the cake. "Wait!" I shouted. She froze, staring me down out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not lying, and I won't say that I am. Before you eat any more of that godforsaken cake, I want you to listen to me seriously," I held one hand out in from of me, palm down, like I was dealing with a crazy person. Honestly, I could have been, judging by the way she was acting. Before I could try to reason with her, she blanched and doubled over._

_I flitted to her side instantly. "Here it comes," I told her, not looking forward to this process at all._

_"Here comes what?" she groaned, sinking to her knees. I bent with her just as she started to heave. I kept my hand strong on her back, hoping it would provide some comfort._

_"You cannot tolerate food anymore. I told you that literally seven times before you started gorging yourself with cake, and several times during. You aren't familiar with the effect human food has on our bodies because you've never witnessed us eat it," I said quietly. Because we're not idiots, I added silently in my mind. "Now we wait until it comes back up." Even in her incapacitated state, I was confident she'd pick up on the sarcasm._

_"How long will that be?" she asked miserably, heaving dryly again and curling into herself._

_"At least two hours," I said thoughtfully. "Likely three, with the amount that you ingested. It was hard to get down because your muscles no longer function like a humans. You swallowed all of that from forced memory, not actual movement. Your stomach is trying to get rid of it now, but again, the muscles don't work that way anymore and unfortunately you can't get it up with muscle memory. So you have to wait until your body riots it up on its own," I pulled her onto my lap and her small body curled into my wearily. As pissed as I was at her thoughtless act, it tore at me to know that she was in pain._

I had underestimated, as it turned out. It was just over four hours before she came back to her senses. The cake was no worse for the wear, looking basically the same as it had when it went down; partially chewed and still spongy. This was because, as I explained to her, she no longer had any acids in her stomach to deteriorate food. Which is why she could no longer eat it. Well, obviously she could eat it, but it would come back up and after that vivid proof, she accepted her fate. She'd still been pissed and had managed to discover new methods of being a pain in my ass over it, which was saying something considering I'd been fairly certain Pam had run that well dry decades before. But she'd come to terms and we'd been enjoying a fairly normal relationship until she'd gone missing.

Thinking back on the incident, it was quite entertaining. When I'd recounted it to Pam, much to Sookie's dismay, she had gotten incomparable joy from imagining the scene and even reenacting what she thought it must have looked like. Even Sookie had to admit the hilarity of it at that point and even joined in with Pam's playacting. Just then my cell phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled myself from the memory reluctantly. I checked the screen to see it was a text message from Pam.

**Don't forget to call me after your meeting with the AP.**

I nearly rolled my eyes before responding back.

**Name one instance during the time you've known me that I've forgotten anything.**

I knew she was really fishing to see if I'd been admitted yet and that she was only anxious. She'd wanted to come to me but I'd been afraid I would take my frustrations out on her and she didn't deserve it. Admittedly, I would have preferred her closer to me, her presence had always been a comfort. But I knew I'd be prone to lash out at her and I didn't want that. As thick as her skin seemed to be, I could feel her true emotions and with Sookie gone, the last thing I needed was to hurt Pam as well.

**The first three years of the 1980's you 'forgot' that bellbottoms were out of style.**

I actually snorted at that one and typed my response with a faint smile on my face.

**Clearly you're forgetting that I'm a trendsetter. Whatever I wear is 'in style'. I will call you as soon as I speak with her.**

Her response was immediate.

**Thank God thigh high boots are in season because the shit is getting deep. My phone is in my hand.**

I smirked and slid my phone into an inner pocket of my suit jacket, smoothing the material down the front as I readjusted myself in my seat. Just then the massive doors in front of me opened, revealing an exceedingly attractive Asian vampire. I stood immediately, towering above her diminutive height.

"She will see you now," she informed me blandly, turning back into the hall. I made a note to tell Pam the phrasing that had just been used, not doubting for a moment that she would get a kick out of it knowing that the Pythoness was blind, and then followed her down the hall.

**A/N Whaddya think? That was kinda fun, right? Don't worry, we're gonna hear from the good old AP soon, pinky swear! Thanks again to Erin1705 =) Hope you guys liked this one! Unfortunately I still don't have my superpowers yet (really don't know what the hold-up is) so you're gonna have to tell me the good old fashioned way .. via reviews! =) Thanks for reading!**


	19. In Which We Go Old aka Ancient School

**Hey guys! I'm on fire! Two updates in like 12 hours lol. This one, I'm taking a gamble on. It's written in Ancient Pythoness POV.. Yep, that's right.. I still get weird about writing from Eric's POV cause I don't wanna mess it up but I figured since nobody knows what goes on in the good old AP's head, I had a pretty good shot at getting close =) Thanks for reading and especially for reviewing, as always =) CH/AB own all this stuff.**

_APPOV_

I heard the footfalls long before they entered my chamber. Even had I not known who he was before he entered, I would have identified him immediately by his scent alone. More so than nearly any of them, he reminded me of my past. He was one of the oldest remaining, certainly the oldest I'd entertained privately in many decades. They were too proud, now, to call upon me. In this age of technology and science, they found it unnecessary to reach for me and my wisdom. Many of them were too young to grasp the extent of my skill or appreciate my role in their history. At the conferences, I could hear them whispering what a pity it was to keep me alive. How sad to see my bent frame hobbling around, blind as a bat. They didn't realize that I was willing and able to eviscerate them in the space of a millisecond, eyesight be damned.

I agree that it was a cruel thing to make me vampire in the waning twilight of my human life but I didn't regret it. I had been gifted and relied upon heavily in the time in which I'd been born. I had spent a happy lifetime with my husband and son. Hephaestion, my beautiful boy. I had used my gift to guide him through his life and he had heeded my word unerringly. When he died, I wanted to as well, and gladly would have were it not for his _erastes_. Alexander was so much a part of Hephaestion it was as though he were my second son. I have heard it said many times that the grief upon losing a child is incomparable to any other emotion and had I not borne witness to Alexander's agony upon Hephaestion's death, I would be inclined to agree. His grief was terrific, never have I seen such mourning. Even my own pain was second to his.

He would not be removed from my son's corpse the entire day following his death and when finally he was, it was by force of his comrades. The gestures made to my son were magnificent. The horses in the city were shorn of mane and tail, an entire civilization was murdered as an offering to my son's spirit, the physician who had treated him was executed, the regiment he'd commanded was never reassigned so that it would always be associated with his name. The amount of money spent on his funeral was astronomical, the equivalent of over one billion dollars in today's economy. The sacred light was put out, something that was done only for the death of a king.

Alexander even requested that Hephaestion be worshipped as a god but was satisfied when the oracle at Siwa allowed him to be worshipped as a Divine Hero. That was when Alexander officially named me as an oracle, though in truth he had regarded me as such from his childhood. For two days following Hephaestion's death, Alexander wept at my feet with his head in my lap as my fingers stroked the soft curls of his hair and tears slid silently down my face. When he asked me to, I cut those curls myself, in yet another tribute to my darling boy. I knew I couldn't leave Alexander in this state, even before he asked me.

_'Mother, I cannot bear your loss as well. You must remain with me,' his eyes searched my face anxiously. The same eyes, one dark and one light, that betrayed his glorious destiny to me when he was but a babe. 'I have found a way for you to be with me always, I need you to guide me. I need your wisdom.'_

And I had agreed. The last cruel trick that fate played on me was the loss of my sight mere days before I was made vampire. There was a happy circumstance there, though, as I have the clear images of my son and his soul mate burned into my mind, unmarred by centuries of sights I'd have seen were I not blind. I would never, for eternity, forget their faces and that was something I could not be bitter towards.

These are the things the young ones do not understand. This is the history that cannot be explained in words but only through experience. That is why I was looking forward to this visit, though I already knew why he had come and that he would not be happy with what I told him. When the doors opened, I trained my gaze to the front of the room.

"Pythoness," he greeted me formally. His voice cut clearly across the open space and I was reminded of the power that men had once held. Though I had never seen the Viking with my own eyes, my aides had provided me with detailed reports. I knew he was a massive man, standing well over six feet tall, like my son. And handsome, I'd heard, also like my son but with the fair features common to his birthplace. Though my son was dark of hair and eye, I had found myself associating his image with the Viking, fully aware of the fact that it was a wistful thing to do.

"Ah the North Man, to what do I owe this esteemed pleasure?" I asked, hoping to goad his sarcastic nature. That, too, was something I found refreshing. He was always respectful of me, but did not coddle or pander to me because of my age. I imagined it was due to his upbringing; I'd known Godric personally and was grieved with his passing.

"I have come to beg a favor, Pythoness. One of my children is missing," he never was one to mince words. Obviously if he was here, he knew she wasn't dead and also that she didn't intentionally leave him.

"Continue," I instructed him.

"She is descendant of Niall Brigant, a hybrid. A cluviel dor was given to her human family, and her brother has activated it's magic. He wished that she would find her purpose and that same night, she disappeared. I wish to know if you can discern her purpose and reveal to me her location." There was perfect silence, not even the rustle of fabric. I thought over what he'd said. Obviously, this was the girl from the disastrous conference. I'd known then that she was Fae but hadn't foreseen at that time that he would make her vampire.

"Tell me the circumstances of her turning," I told him, imperiously.

"There was an accident, her vehicle was struck by another and I turned her before she could die." Ah. Spur of the moment, as it were.

"Come to me, " I ordered. I needed to touch him to gain the strongest insight. Obviously if the girl was gone, and I had no doubt that he had done everything in his power to find her before contacting me, then she was gone from our dimension. I'd seen it happen but only twice before. She was truly special, for this to have taken place. I heard him approach my vicinity slowly, almost hesitantly, and tsk'ed in impatience. "Come, Viking, I won't hurt you," I told him, suppressing the impulse to grin. Two long strides and he was kneeling before me, the air shifting to accommodate his sudden presence. "There, that's better," I murmured, reaching my hands out to touch him.

My fingers connected with the strong bones of his cheeks. I carefully felt the smooth planes of his face, running my thumbs over his now closed eyes and registering just how beautiful he truly was. My aides had not exaggerated. I had to admit, I had wanted to 'see' his face this way more than once over the centuries but had not had an excuse to do so. I sighed, not pleased at the circumstances in which the opportunity had finally presented itself. I focused on his energy and sifted through his memories until what I was looking for presented itself.

The girl.

His Maker.

The disaster.

I closed my eyes, suddenly fatigued, before steeling myself to deliver the message he'd come for. Reluctantly taking my hands from his skin, I opened my sightless eyes and focused them to the spot where I knew he was. "She is gone from us. She will not return but you will not miss her much longer," I told him and could feel his sudden tension. After a beat of silence, he spoke and I could practically hear him warring with himself to maintain composure.

"Pythoness, I must request that you speak plainly."

I snorted.

"Viking, I do not speak in riddles to confound you. She is gone from us. She has left this time, travelled to the past, to prevent disastrous events from taking place," I told him, reluctant to reveal the exact details. In the thousands of years that I'd lived, I had learned that when I felt a reluctance to do something, it was best not to do that something. He absorbed my words.

"She is not returning to me? I am not her purpose?" He asked slowly. Though he fought valiantly to keep the pain from his voice, it was there.

"You are, very clearly, her purpose. She has gone to save your heart from breaking; to save Godric. She has gone to save us all," I told him, realizing as I spoke the words that they were true.

"Godric," he breathed and again I could hear his suffering.

"I have been remiss in withholding my apologies for your loss. Godric was a great vampire, a noble vampire, and I keenly mourned his passing," I said quietly, meaning every word.

"Thank you. I, too, suffer from his absence. More than I can say," he responded and again, I was reminded of my sons.

"I am not experienced with time transcendence, having only witnessed it twice. However, I can tell you that she is with you, in a bygone era. She will not be returning to us now, but as her destinies merge, so will the present. You will find yourself remembering things that have not happened, only to learn that they have. Your memories will be confused until the seams of the universe knit themselves back together. I urge you to warn your other progeny, as she too, will likely feel the effects. Providing that she still exists after the ripples have fanned out," I added thoughtfully, realizing only then that the course of his existence may have changed to not include her.

"What do you mean, provided she still exists?" his voice was sharp; he clearly loved her as well.

"My child, your past, present, and future, have been taken off kilter with this happening. It is possible that she has gone back to a time before your original progeny was created. If that is the case, there is a chance that fate will not strike twice and you will not find your first child as you did before. Of course, there is every chance that you will, but as experience teaches us, we must always prepare for every outcome," I told him. I could feel the mutiny of his emotions and it was refreshing.

He was from a time when men created their own destiny; when men were men. Violence had been king and cruelty was commonplace. War, in those days, was not about who was right; only who was left. Now, I was not nostalgic for the sheer terror and chaos that had often reigned between rulers in that time, but I did find that I longed for the brutality of truth. The dressing down of reality. These days, humans padded everything with pleasantries and fought verbal battles that often were not their concern. Bloodshed was frowned upon and yet they wondered why they found themselves dissatisfied. As my sons had proven in their day, when you wanted something, you took it. This man before me knew that truth and was silently raging against the fact that there was no one to kill to get his way. I admired him for it, useless though the emotions were.

"Trust me, this will work out the way the gods intend. I cannot say how long it will be before your worlds meld together, but once they do, you will have no recollection of this time. Of being without her," I told him, hoping to console him in some way. The silence wound itself around us for a few moments before he suddenly stood.

"I thank you for your wisdom, Pythoness," his tone was genuine. He surprised me by clasping my hand and kissing the back of it before he stepped away.

"Stay strong, warrior. It's the way you were intended to be," I told him. "Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again," he answered, and then I listened as he left me.

**A/N I loved writing this so much. I only hope that it came out pretty clear and if not, lemme break it down: Sookie's gone, her destiny is Eric and Godric. She's going to stay there, and prevent Eric's heartbreak from Godric's death. And she also prevents the disaster .. what disaster? You'll just have to read and find out! Future Eric is gonna be a little confused for a while because memories will come back to him that he doesn't necessarily remember, until his current path and the path with Sookie unite. Does that make sense? I hope so! Thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought of this one, I'm on the edge of my seat! Also, what's next: Sookie/Eric/Godric update or do you guys want to hear personally from Future Eric?**

**A/N 2: This is basically me gushing about how much I love the story of Alexander the Great and Hephaestion. I mean seriously. I teared up reading a frigid' Wikipedia article about them, for Pete's sake. I don't even wanna talk about what happened to me when I watched a youtube video of clips from the movie with Colin Farrell and Jared Leto. Didn't help at all that the music on it was "Stirb Nicht Vor Mir" by Rammstein, which translates to "Don't Die Before Me" 'Nuff said. As far as the Pythoness being Hephaestion's mother, yeah I made that up. But it works, right? I thought it sorta did. Also, I took the liberty of having her refer to both Haphaestion and Alexander as her sons, so don't get confused on that. They weren't actually brothers. The stuff that Alexander did in honor of Hephaestion, however, is real; he really did all that and more. They had an inexplicably close friendship throughout their lives, one which Aristotle described as "one soul abiding in two bodies." Also, when they went together to visit a captured royal family after one of the great battles, the queen of the family, Sisygambis, knelt to Hephaestion by accident, assuming he was Alexander because he was taller. When she realized her mistake, she apologized and these were Alexander's words to her "You were not mistaken, Mother; this man too is Alexander." Chills! It gives me chills! Oh if there were a fandom for them I would write fifty million love stories about 'em. Ok that's the end of my fangirl rave =)**


	20. In Which Patience Is A Virtue

**This is short, FYI! But don't worry, there's another update coming soon. I got some mixed feedback on who we wanted to hear from so I want to do both POVs in quick succession. This is Eric; Sookie's up next. I'm so sorry for the delay but I've been hooked, utterly hooked, on the Black Dagger Brotherhood of late, thanks to a totally fuckawesome chick's recommendation (Thank you, LadyH, I am seriously addicted!) =) Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and being awesome in general! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

_EPOV_

Three nights.

Three fucking nights I wait to see her and for what?

Nothing.

No. Less than nothing. The opposite of nothing. Worse than nothing.

I sped away from the fortress, nearly putting my foot through the floor of the rental car. My jaw was clenched so tight, it's a wonder my teeth weren't ground to powder. I won't miss her for long, she'd said. I won't remember being without her, she'd said.

_The fuck I won't._

I roared in frustration as the car clung to the bends in the road, speeding through the night. Any joviality I'd felt prior to the meeting had completely evaporated. I'd had the thought that once I had spoken to the Pythoness, I would be able to retrieve Sookie and return the world to rights. Realizing that wasn't going to happen had thrown me into a rage.

Luckily I'd been numb as I left. Destroying the inner sanctum of the fortress occupied by the Ancient Pythoness was not something I would have relished. After all, she was simply an instrument. It was none of her doing that Sookie was gone. I'd even sensed sympathy from her. Compassion. Which was nearly as unsettling as the fate she'd meted out. I was much more accustomed to her biting wit and condescension. It was almost as if she bated me to spar with her on the many occasions I'd met with her in the past.

But not this time.

I realized I was compressing the steering wheel with my grip and forced myself to ease off of it. I exhaled sharply through my nose, needing to get a grip on the childish tantrum I was perilously close to throwing. I pulled onto the shoulder of the road and parked the vehicle, placing my forehead against the steering wheel and closing my eyes.

I had a sudden flash of Sookie reverently opening a massive book, excitement barely concealed on her face. She beamed up at me, pointing to the page. In my mind's eye, I stepped toward her to see what she was indicating. My eyes focused on the page.

A  
><strong>DICTIONARY<strong>  
>of the<br>**English Language:**  
>in which<br>The WORDS are deduced from their ORIGINALS,  
>and<br>ILLUSTRATED in their DIFFERENT SIGNIFICATIONS  
>by<br>EXAMPLES from the best WRITERS.  
>To which are prefixed,<br>A **HISTORY** of the **LANGUAGE,**  
>and AN <strong>ENGLISH GRAMMAR.<strong>  
>By SAMUEL JOHNSON, A.M.<br>In TWO Volumes  
>VOL. I<p>

"_It's a dictionary, Eric! And guess what we're gonna use it for," she swiveled her face up to mine and her blue eyes sharpened their focus. "Word Of The Night."_

"_Word of the night?" I asked, confused. She nodded enthusiastically._

"_Oh yes," she confirmed verbally. She hefted the volume open, reverently flipping the pages with care. "We'll select a new word each night and then use it in a sentence throughout the course of that night. It will help our vocabulary," she said, face lighting up as she settled on a page._

"_Sookie, I have a perfectly acceptable grasp of the English language," I told her, though it was hard not smile at her exuberance. She cut her eyes up to mine, clearly wanting to roll them._

"_That is debatable. As evidenced by this," she pointed at the page. "Your first word of the night," there was laughter bubbling below her voice as I focused on the word. Now it was my turn to cut my eyes at her._

"_Come then, what is it?" Godric asked from across the table. I glanced up at him, not having heard him enter the room. He had a mischievous smirk on his face as he adjusted his wig, clearly in on the joke. I raised my eyebrow as I glanced back down at the page and struggled to keep from chuckling as I read aloud._

"_Patience. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper," I recited in an extremely sarcastic voice. Sookie's little elbow nudged my middle. I sighed and read on, her head nodding with the cadence of my words. 'The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge."_

_Godric laughed out loud at the expression on my face and I joined in._

"_There! Now, remember to use that in a sentence tonight," Sookie said, gathering the huge book together, sounding very pleased with herself._

"_Understanding the word does not mean that it is a trait I possess," I told her in a teasing tone. She walked to a desk in the corner of the room, depositing the book carefully before turning to speak._

"_I'm still working on that part of it," she smiled. "Don't worry, I'll come up with something." Godric chuckled again as he buttoned his overcoat._

"_I must away," he said, turning to face Sookie. "Have I got this on properly?" _

_She smiled and stepped toward him. "I still don't have any idea how you two got along without me," she said under her breath as she adjusted his cravat. Her fingers brushed the hair of his wig back a bit and he caught her wrist, kissing her palm gently before he let it go._

"_Neither do I," he answered. Sookie smiled at me over his shoulder and I felt a smile form on my own face in response._

I shuddered as I came back to the present, thoroughly unsettled. I recognized that room. It was the parlor of the home Godric and I had shared in Glasgow.

In the mid-1700s.

Centuries before Sookie was born.

My stomach lurched as the truth took hold. The Pythoness was right. It was folly to believe otherwise; she was always right. However, knowing that she was right and _seeing_ that she was right were two very different things and the unease settling in my body was proof.

Sookie was not coming back to me in this time because she was already with me. My mind raced as it tried to process this information. If she was with me, then where was I? How was I here, in between existences? Could it be true that Godric was still alive? Had we nested, the three of us? It was not unheard of for a female vampire to take two mates and, wonder of wonders, I was more than okay with her being with Godric. Even thinking it felt right. I tried to hold back the insane hope that rose in my chest at the thought of Godric living, not meeting the true death, spending eternity with us.

My body felt suspended, as though I were floating. The strange joy I had imagining it, trying to integrate it with my previous reality, had my head spinning and I felt disconnected from everything and everyone.

One thought stopped all the elation and my body ran cold as it struck me. I slowly pulled the phone out of the pocket in my jacket. I felt like time had stopped as I prayed like I hadn't prayed in centuries. I dialed the number automatically, almost afraid to put the phone to my ear.

Fear isn't an emotion I feel often, but I felt it then.

I was afraid Pam wouldn't be there to answer my call.

Two rings later, my fears were assuaged.

"What did she say?" Pam's voice was concerned. My body relaxed considerably at the sound of her voice. I chided myself for entertaining the idea that Pam wouldn't be around. Sookie would never have let me miss her.

As I filled Pam in on the meeting and my grim news, I tried to recall if I'd ever told Sookie when and where exactly I'd met Pam. I realized I never had but wasn't overly concerned. Obviously she'd found her. We'd found her.

I wondered briefly if my early relationship with Pam would have been the same. Had we been romantically involved now that Sookie had been there? Would I have wanted to be?

I shook my head slightly and focused back on Pam's words.

Apparently I'd have to be _patient_ until my memories came together.


	21. In Which The Stranger Is Revealed

**New chapter, as promised! Please accept my heartfelt thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I've backed off on DMing every time because frankly, I was starting to feel like a creepy stalker. But please believe that I read and obsess over every single thing you guys say. Here, we get back to good old 'Skjaldvör' in the past. I hope you guys like it! And if not, remember I'm a very sensitive person and prefer pretty lies to harsh truths.. Hehe, only kidding =) CH/AB own all this stuff.**

Thankfully, Mr. Brandon was too much a gentleman to remark on my speedy get away tactics and was content to walk quietly beside me once we made it to the gardens. I cleared my throat as we began our leisurely stroll, ready to get down to business. I wasn't getting any younger. I technically wasn't getting any older either, but that's beside the point. I was in a hurry to get some information.

"Tell me, Mr. Brandon, have I missed out on any intrigues here at court?" I asked, looking up at his face. He smiled slightly.

"I daresay your bit of news shall create more of a sensation than any other goings on of late," he said in a jovial tone. I laughed a little, trying to stay in character. While I wasn't opposed to a good old fashioned glamour every now and again, I didn't like to do it when it wasn't really necessary. I would definitely be able to get all the info I needed out of Mr. Brandon with a little polite conversation. Or brain picking, if that didn't work. Drawing upon my southern manners, I decided to go with polite conversation first.

"I cannot say that I was surprised by his proposal. I have seen the way he looks at me sometimes when he thinks I shan't notice," I glanced up at him, hoping _shan't_ wasn't too much. He seemed like he was on board, so I plowed forward. "I do believe he was more nervous of my brother and his reaction than he was of mine. Though I could have told him that Eric would not have minded. Neither of them are as subtle as they wish to believe," I informed him, thinking that was apparently the understatement of the year according to the info I'd just siphoned out of Anne's brain. I still couldn't believe Eric would slip like that, but I had to remind myself that he wasn't the thousand old mastermind I knew. He was just a poor little five hundred year old mastermind. Ok yeah, doesn't seem like that big a difference in terms of years. Five hundred should be old enough to know better but still. He had a lot to learn.

Mr. Brandon chuckled before responding. "Well, I must admire the man for his prowess. No doubt he'll be relieved that he received your answer, what with the charming devil we received here at court last eve," he told me as we rounded a bend. My senses were on alert.

"Oh?" Charming devil received at court last eve. Anne with vampire blood in her system. I was such a good detective, I didn't even have to detect. Clues just came to me of their own free will.

"Yes, unfortunately I can't recall the man's name at the moment," he said, brow furrowed. I jumped into his head, hoping for an image before remembering that he was not a visual thinker. "Though I'm sure we'll see him back around again, said he was here on business but I'm having trouble recalling what it was he did. Didn't get to talk to the chap much myself, he was surrounded by ladies most of the night. Though he spent a good deal of time with Anne. Perhaps I'll inquire of her," he said, more to himself than to me. In his mind, he was annoyed that he couldn't remember more details. There was no evidence of glamour there, though. He honestly just couldn't remember.

"I take it he was not an Englishman?" I inquired politely. If he were here on business, it was probable that he was foreign. Then again, if he was the mystery vampire, that could likely be a cover.

"No, certainly not. Dark features and lots of silk with a pronounced accent. Spanish, I believe. Perhaps Italian. Or Portuguese," he chuckled. "Those languages all sound the same as far as I can tell and from what I've seen, they favor the same styles as well!"

I laughed on cue, mind racing to think of any dark featured vamps I knew ages 500 and over. I wasn't coming up with much.

"Roguish, too, the lot of them!" I threw back at him, hoping that was true. He nodded, still chuckling a bit.

"As surely you would know, my dear Miss Northman," he conceded. I was confused for all of a second before I remembered that I was supposedly visiting from Spain, where my family was running an export business. I suddenly felt a little compassion for Eric's French slip up, realizing how hard it must be to constantly keep up a cover. Still, though, he'd had 500 freaking years of practice.

"Indeed," I agreed with him. We walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments while I continued to rack my brain.

"I do extend my heartfelt felicitations on your engagement," he said sincerely. I smiled up at him. "I barely know you but I do believe you are a wonderful lady and I know that Pictwell is an honorable gentleman. I cannot pretend that I am not jealous of the man, though I believe you will make a good match," he admitted. I couldn't believe what a genuinely nice guy he was, especially being so entwined with court life.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Brandon, that means so much to me," I told him.

"Please, call me Charles," he requested. I nodded, making note to be more casual with him. I also made a note that I was pretty hungry and decided to try to get him secluded again. A tiny little part of me felt bad about it, especially since he was so nice. Then I reminded myself that it was healthy to lose a little blood every once in a while, it jumpstarted the old circulation process. Probably.

I realized that he was filling me in on more court gossip and began to nod politely and gasp every few seconds while I strategically planned dinner. The next alcove was just up ahead and I decided to pull him into it when we got there.

"Scandalous!" I breathed, not sure what we were talking about.

"Indeed it was," he concurred. Thank goodness I'd chosen the right exclamation. Just then we came upon the bench set back in a pocket in the shrubs and I theatrically tripped again. As he caught me from face planting, I spun him around and stepped back out of the path. In less than a minute, I had him glamoured and was drinking. I was having a hard time focusing on what I was doing because I was still trying to come up with a possible suspect. There was no guarantee that I should know who it was, but I wanted to rule out every possibility if I could. I was running through the roster of vampires I had met, eliminating them one by one.

Obviously wasn't Bill. Andre and the Berts were out. None of the vamps I'd met at Fangtasia fit the description. Felipe de- Oh shit storm on a Sunday morning, could it be Felipe de Castro? I decided it most certainly could and then tried to think. Felipe wasn't necessarily evil, which was a plus. Then again, we were 500 years in the past, so it was hard to tell what he was like at this time. I tried to rationally think through the implications, remembering that just because he was here (if it was even him at all) it didn't necessarily mean he meant us any harm. Of course, that thought didn't even phase the creepy crawl that had taken up residence on my back.

I disengaged and sealed up the wound I'd made on Charles' neck then touched up my glamour job. As far as he knew, he'd just saved me from a fall and nothing untoward had happened.

"I am so clumsy!" I exclaimed, trying to sound embarrassed.

"Not at all," he said kindly. "I've no idea how you ladies can even stand upright in some of the contraptions you must wear." Preachin' to the choir here, buddy.

"There was a young man I met in Spain who shared the very same sentiment. Felipe, his name was," I said slyly, hoping to trigger his memory. Unfortunately, it didn't trigger diddly squat and he just nodded politely once again. I realized we were approaching a huge set of doors, having made the full trip through the outside gardens.

"Verily, I have enjoyed your company, Miss Northman," he told me in a very polite tone.

"Charles, please," I looked up at him. "Call me Sookie, I implore you."

"Sookie," he smiled, patting my hand as it rested on his forearm. I smiled back at him.

"I've enjoyed your company as well," I told him, and I meant it. He was a lovely kind of guy and was turning out to be a good resource. Not just for his blood, either. As we entered the large room, I noticed that Henry was now occupying his chair next to Anne. I also noticed that Henry had not had any blood. Interesting. Godric and Eric were still there, as well as another man that I couldn't see very well. His back was turned toward me, showing me nothing more than broad shoulders in a pretty green coat and dark, glossy curls falling just past his collar.

As we got closer, I listened hard and picked up on the accent that Charles had told me about. I didn't recognize the voice, though, which was a slight relief. For some reason I had originally gotten a bad feeling in my gut about the stranger but it eased a bit with the knowledge that I didn't know him after all. Just then, he turned his head to laugh at something Anne had said. With a sigh, I confirmed the fact that I definitely had never met the man before. I did have to admit that he was a handsome guy, though.

Nice bone structure, pretty eyes, perfect teeth. Eric and Godric looked perfectly at ease, but of course they would be schooled in hiding their true thoughts. I felt for the bond and found a wary kind of apprehension. Weird. I couldn't tell exactly who it was coming from, though I would guess Godric. It stood to reason that the stranger hadn't done anything to put them on alert, that was just common sense. So the only reason for this feeling would be Godric's intuition. Which put me right back on edge. Relief, thou art a fleeting emotion.

"Ah, Brandon, I see you've returned my bride to be," Godric stood as we approached the dais. Eric stood beside him, so that they were flanking me on both sides. Smooth, guys. Real smooth. I smiled at both of them and then over at Anne and Henry before I did a robotic chicken bob move, tapping my heel on the carpet in front of me. I honestly could not understand how my curtseys managed to get more awkward every single time. I made a mental note that if I got stuck here, I should try to corner the market on Riverdancing in a couple hundred years.

Funny, the thought of being stuck here didn't send a shiver up my spine that time. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Godric's hand was on my arm and Eric's fingers were carefully brushing up against my back. I tried hard not think of my Eric and what he was going through without me. Stay in the moment, Stackhouse.

"Congratulations are in order, as I understand it. I must say there will be many a man sorry to see you wed, Miss Northman," Henry said, looking about as sorry as a raccoon in a dumpster. I bit back the impulse to retort that they ought to get glad the same way they got sad, else they were gonna die unhappy. Definitely not a good idea to go spouting out my southern sayings in King Henry's court, what with us being in England in the 1500s and all. Instead, I smiled sweetly.

"Ye flatter me, jolly good king thou art," I answered, bowing my head slightly. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, wondering exactly which corner of my brain was getting its kicks out of making me sound like a moron. As I glanced back up, I saw that Anne and Henry were clearly wondering the same. I shook it off and smiled extra wide, hoping we could move on. Godric cleared his throat.

"My dear, you have yet to meet our new acquaintance," he said, gracefully stepping over the latest installment in my apparently never-ending stream of faux pas'. I looked over at the vampire seated to Godric's left. "This is Mr. Cabral," Godric pronounced the name with what I had to admit was a pretty sexy accent. "Mr. Cabral, this is my betrothed, Skjaldvör Northman."

Mr. Cabral stood and bowed, never taking his eyes from mine. His gaze was arresting, to say the least. His eyes were a hazy blue, struggling to turn grey, with barely noticeable flecks of silver throughout them. They looked out of place with his olive skin and dark brows, but the effect was charming. I wasn't sure whether he was flirting or sizing me up, but he was definitely intent on looking at me.

Eric stepped closer to me and I got the distinct feeling he wanted to put his hands on me, possessive style. Clearly he thought the guy was flirting. I hid a smile as I pictured Eric in a loincloth, pounding his chest. _Me Eric. This Sookie. Sookie mine. _As much as I liked to consider myself a modern woman, there was something inherently sexy about the caveman routine. To a point, of course.

"Our dear Mr. Northman's younger sister as well," Anne interjected. Because the situation wasn't quite awkward enough. Beyond our blonde hair and blue eyes, Eric and I looked nothing alike. It would be obvious to another vampire that the sibling thing was a ruse to explain our situation and he was clearly not buying it for a second. Especially not after Tarzan's appearance.

_"_It's lovely to meet you, Mr. Cabral," I told him, doing a little head dip. He smiled, taking my hand in his. Which was a little strange but I figured I'd just go with the flow.

"Charmed, I'm sure," he murmured as he bent to kiss he back of my hand. As his lips touched my skin, he cut his eyes up to Eric's face. The little shit was taunting him. Eric, of course, went rigid beside me. Ok smart ass, probably not a wise move. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand back, looking up at Eric's face. He looked relaxed enough at first glance, but his eyes were tight. I rethought my earlier assumption about Godric's intuition. Maybe this guy was just bad news. Unless he just thought it would be fun to have a pissing contest with a vampire who was at least a foot taller than him and an obvious possessive streak. I understand that boys will be boys but that had bad idea written all over it. I needed to think of something to do or say to lighten the mood, and fast.

Somehow I didn't think 'How 'bout them Saints?' would work.

**Hmm, who is this guy? Do we know him? *Strokes imaginary beard in reflective contemplation* Sounds familiar.. Guess you just have to read to find out! Muahaha. Let me know what you guys thought of this one. Next one coming up soon! (Very soon!) FYI to anyone who doesn't know who the Saints are, that's the name of Louisiana's NFL Team. I had to Google it. Whaaaat? I'm not a football fan, ok? Geez! Lol Thanks for reading =)**


	22. In Which I'm Only Human er Vampire

**Told you it was coming soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing and alerting and favoring and basically making my day =) I really hope you guys like this one, it's been a long time coming. (hint: let me know via review) (I'm very slick, I know) CH/AB own all this stuff.**

"I am afeared I have run afoul of an evil vapor," I intoned in a theatrical voice, pointedly fanning myself. I figured the best thing was to diffuse the situation and I had settled on a plan. Of course, no one understood what I meant. Hell, I barely even understood it and thought for a second that maybe I should have brought football up after all. "I am not feeling well," I tried rephrasing. Recognition lit their faces. I barely stopped my eyes from rolling. "Brother mine, would you escort me home please?" I asked, knowing that Eric needed to leave and that it would be better for Godric to stay. His intuition was seriously handy and hopefully he'd be able to get some more information.

When he didn't respond, I looked up at him. His eyes were still locked on Mr. Cabral's face, the muscles tight in his jaw. Suddenly he looked down at me and the intensity in his eyes nearly made me swoon. It took massive self control not to rip my clothes off and jump on him like white on rice on a paper plate in a snow storm.

"Of course," he said, his voice rough. My ovaries squeezed a little bit. Stick to business, Stackhouse! I turned to Anne and Henry, deciding a slight head bob would do it this time.

"My lieges," I said, realizing immediately how stupid that word sounded in plural. "Please forgive to have the evening too short," I almost wanted to shrug my shoulders at them in the age old _I don't know what's going on, either _gesture. They were learning to deal with my fool ways pretty quickly, though, and didn't miss a beat. They just nodded regally, dismissing me. I looked at Mr. Cabral and nodded curtly before turning to face Godric. He smiled softly, taking my hands in his.

"Good night, my dearest," his voice was low and sent a thrill through my core. Either these two were trying to give me a sensual heart attack or I was just seriously in need of a good roll in the hay. He leaned in to kiss me goodnight, his full lips pressing against mine firmly. I was surprised when he quickly pulled my bottom lip between his teeth, his tongue running over it softly. Which was equal parts unexpected and super-hot. He let go and leaned back, eyes on fire. Heart attack, they were definitely trying to give me a heart attack. I knew there was no way Mr. Cabral could not sense my 'agitation' and wondered if that was the sole purpose for the racy kiss. As if he sensed my doubt, Godric reached up and cupped my chin in his hand for a moment. As his thumb softly caressed under my jaw, I knew that the kiss hadn't been for show. Which kickstarted my damn uterus.

I glanced at the others, not sure if PDA was normal in this time. I noticed that Charles was gone already but couldn't recall him leaving. Henry looked on approvingly, Anne looked shrewd as always, and Mr. Cabral looked a little taken aback. I'd have guessed that he had originally thought Eric and I were mates and Godric was an acquaintance. After that kiss, though, he was not so sure. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he realized that they were both my mates.

Wait, were they both my mates? What the eff! I hadn't technically been with either of them at that point in time, although it was stupid to even try to deny the attraction I had to both of them. Bond or no bond, I definitely had it bad. Honestly, I wasn't sure how much longer I would make it without sex anyway. I had always had a healthy drive and it had only increased after I became vampire. Like, tenfold. Not to mention that fact that in the future, Eric and I were basically little blood suckin' rabbits, considering how often we got physical. My resolve was definitely compromised. I pulled myself back to the moment, knowing that this was soooo not the time to be having that particular internal debate.

"Come, let's away," Eric took my elbow and in moments, we were on the streets. He was clearly perturbed and not saying much in the way of conversation. Had I been human, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with him at all. I was only worried that we'd be spotted moving so quickly but I didn't want to dally either. The sooner we got to the lair, the better.

Lair, hehe. Still cracked me up.

As it turned out, we got there sooner than even I thought possible. As Eric pulled the hatch open, he gestured for me to go first. I hesitated, dearly wanting to bitch at him for having kept up such a quick pace but decided against it. The more I thought of it, the less of a point I had. We walked fast because there was no reason not to. We had gotten home fast, which was what I wanted. He hadn't said much since the castle, but there was no law requiring that he be a Chatty Cathy. Which left nothing at all for me to be mad at.

I'd been making big strides in the battle to keep my inner shrew at bay, but sometimes the tendencies surfaced. I just had to take a minute to beat them back a little, that's all.

I flitted down into the main room in seconds, Eric right behind me. I turned to face him and had to stifle a gasp of surprise. He was right in front of me, literally centimeters away. I leaned back to look up into his face. I was quite familiar with the singular determination I saw there and more than a little turned on by it.

"Eric, I-"

"Let me help you disrobe," he cut me off, taking a step toward me. He was so close that I had no choice but to take a step back. Two more maneuvers like that and we were in the bedroom. "Turn around," he ordered, voice low. I swallowed, turning around. Not because he told me to, but because I wanted the damn dress off.

Riiiight.

He immediately began to untie the laces on the dress, fingers moving swiftly. I felt the outer shell fall from my shoulders and shuddered when goosebumps ran across my skin. He pulled the main part of the dress down to my waist then paused. A second later, he pulled it over my hips and down to the floor, leaving me standing in a pool of fabric with only my underthings on. I say 'only' like there weren't sixty five million items involved. There were, but I still felt pretty exposed after being in that big gown all evening. I didn't say anything, mainly because I wasn't sure what I should say. If he continued, I was going to let him. I couldn't deny that I wanted him and I was too tired of worrying about what was right or wrong and why I was there and what my future would be like and if I was dreaming and yatta yatta yatta.

He was Eric.

He was mine.

He was moving on to the corset.

Moments later, I was clutching the now loose fabric to my chest with my eyes closed. As the last laces fell, I confirmed my decision. I turned around, prepared to spout off some meaningful words about the right or wrong or whatever, but he silenced everything with a kiss. A slow, wonderful, I-might-not-technically-be-your-Eric-but-I-definitely-am-Eric kiss. He pulled back, eyes searching my face for either acceptance or outrage. Apparently he got the answer he was looking for because he swept me off my feet and onto the bed in the space of a heartbeat. I got comfortable as he did away with his overcoat and boots before impatiently lowering himself onto the duvet beside me.

As I lay on my back, he cupped his hand around my waist, leaning over and kissing my shoulder softly. I lifted up on one elbow so I could face him. He took the opportunity to kiss me on the mouth. I leaned into it, breathing in his scent, feeling his lips soft against mine but determined; firm. He moved in closer, leaning toward me more. I tilted my head, sliding my tongue into his mouth. He rubbed his against mine in a way that was familiar and foreign at the same time. I smiled against his lips, thrilled at the thought of rediscovering him. He leaned away from me, brushing my hair off of my shoulder with his hand.

"Do you want me this way?" he asked in a gruff voice, setting a slow pulse throbbing in my lower body. I bit my bottom lip softly, bringing my hand up to run my thumb along his jaw line, nodding certainly. He had a very intent look on his face as he leaned forward, kissing me again. His tongue probed in more forcefully this time, rough against the soft lining of my mouth. I exhaled heavily through my nose, bringing both hands up to his face. I could feel his jaw moving slightly beneath my fingers as I subtly laid back, pulling him toward me. He shifted over easily, settling between my legs. I moved my hands down to his neck, then onto his shoulders and against his thick chest, pressing against him. I felt one of his hands tangle in my hair, the other gripping my waist.

"Can I?" I said shortly, between kisses, pulling on the bottom of his shirt. He reared up on his knees, literally ripping the shirt off. The sound of the fabric tearing was strangely erotic and he growled in his throat as he bent back down to me. I ran my hands all over his chest, sides, back, loving the feel of his bare skin against my palms. He pressed against me, automatically grinding is hips into mine. He shot a hand between us, sliding it under the edge of my corset, which I apparently had not dropped. I struggled to shift under him, pulling the fabric away, trying not to take my lips off of him for a second longer than necessary. I protested as he pulled back, staring down at my breasts, that intent look still on his face. My chest was heaving, I was hopelessly in the moment, but still had to smile a bit at his fascination. I reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling them toward me and pressing his palms over my nipples. He froze for a split second, then turned into a Swedish Hurricane. He was all over me, his hands in a thousand places at once, his lips right behind them.

"Pants, pants, pants," I said urgently, reaching between us. He caught on, and after a little fumbling, we were both finally naked. He positioned himself at my opening, already wet and more than ready for him, and without further ado he pushed in firmly. Though I was well aware of how big he was, his size was still a delicious shock. I sucked in my breath on a hiss.

"Are you all right?" he asked, a little dazed himself. I kissed him in answer, squirming under him. He responded immediately, pushing deeper. I groaned, breathing in heavily as he pulsed forward before pulling out. His body was enveloping me, arms strong against my sides, his chest pressing against mine, thighs working between my own. He was more urgent than I was used to, less practiced than he would be, and I reveled in it. I pulled him closer to me by crossing my ankles behind his back. Which tilted my pelvis forward, letting him get even deeper than before. I cried out, totally thrilled with the feeling. He faltered a bit.

"Don't stop," I said hoarsely into his ear. He hummed deep in his throat and continued thrusting forward. I squeezed his shoulders, sliding my hands down his back, around his waist. I moved with him, meeting him each time he came forward, unable to keep quiet. I arched my back as my orgasm began, rubbing against him as he kept up his rhythm. I looked at his face with hooded eyes, the determination in the straight line of his mouth, the muscles bunched in his jaw, the slight wrinkle in his forehead. His face was tilted down, though. I couldn't see his eyes.

"Watch me," I told him, breathless. "Look at me, Eric." His eyes locked onto mine and his fangs dropped as a growl bubbled out of his chest. My fangs dropped in answer, a husky moan finding it;s way out of my throat.. I was completely absorbed with the sensations crashing over me. "Don't stop," I repeated. His eyes never left mine.

"I won't," he assured me, pounding into me harder and quicker. Every muscle in my body contracted for a few frozen moments before I exploded, vaguely hearing myself moaning his name, my body dissolving into his. I looked up at him, straining over me, the intensity still vivid on his face. I squeezed my muscles, gripping his length, and felt him jerk involuntarily inside me.

"Will you come with me?" I asked, voice low and husky. I couldn't be sure if he knew the expression but he groaned heavily, thrusting forward once more. His hands gripped my body as his orgasm shattered through him, one on my shoulder the other on my hip, and he buried his head in the curve of my neck. My legs were shaking and it felt like my whole body was vibrating. His breath was giving me goosebumps across my chest and I could feel us sticking together where our skin touched.

My head lolled to the side, my eyes fluttering closed. I was completely content in that moment, not eve caring to think of my situation just then. After a moment, his weight shifted above me and I felt him kissing my neck softly. I smiled slightly, running my tongue over my fangs in a lazy way. He kissed up onto my jaw, the tips of his fangs grazing my skin just enough to send shivers through my frame. When he stopped, I turned my face up to him, regarding him sleepily through eyes that were nearly closed with satisfaction.

His eyes were cornflower blue, like the ocean after a storm. A few wisps of his golden hair had escaped the tie to frame his perfectly relaxed face. His mouth was slightly open, fangs pressing lightly into his fuller bottom lip. He was staring at me with a look I'd been missing so much that seeing it now had my eyes swimming.

Not like I was a conquest.

Not like I was a mind-blowing sex buddy.

He was looking at me like I was the woman he loved.

I reached up and traced the outline of his lips with my fingertips. I felt the soft skin, the dip of his cupid's bow, the moisture left from my kiss. I let my fingers run across his jaw and as my hand started up his cheek, he closed his eyes and leaned against my palm. I smiled to myself, warmed by the gesture. His eyes opened and he lowered his lips to mine for a soft, almost innocent kiss. When he pulled away, I opened my mouth to say something. What that was going to be, I'm not exactly sure and it didn't matter anyway because he spoke before I could.

"No talking for tonight," he said softly. "Tonight, just sleep with me. Tomorrow, we will talk."

I couldn't see a single thing wrong with that, so I just nodded. He shifted to my side and pulled my back against his front. As I felt his arms snake around me, I snuggled back into him and started to drift off almost immediately. Having seen my Eric peeking out of his eyes, I was perfectly comfortable letting him ease my worries for the night.


	23. In Which I Begin To Understand

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, this was a tough one to get ironed out. Thanks as always for all the lovely reviews, I really enjoying hearing what you have to say =) CH/AB own all this stuff.**

I woke up burrowed into the blankets like a groundhog, completely covered from head to toe. I stretched out, relishing the familiar ache in my body. I knew that there would have to be a discussion today regarding the events of last night and can't say I was totally looking forward to it. I couldn't stand the thought of Eric being with any other women even though I knew I had no right to ask him not to. I had just dropped into his life a few nights ago and couldn't expect him to drop everything because we'd had sex. I could, though, ask for names and addresses and start up with my vigilante work.

I could have stayed hidden in my little wormhole of blankets for the rest of my life if that's all we needed to talk about. However, I was dying to know if Godric had gotten any more information about Mr. Cabral. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to ask about the whole sky god/Sky Fae connection and see if that was just a coincidence after all. Plus I planned on asking their opinion on me talking to Niall. Making love with Eric was a fine way to pass the time but it wasn't really gonna get us any answers, so I had to get down to business sooner or later. I heaved a sigh and started blindly tunneling my way out of my safe haven. When I finally popped through, I was startled to see Eric sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at me with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Finally decide to come out?" he asked, amused.

"Took a little deliberation. I had a lot to think about," I answered, smiling at him.

"Seems to me that you do a lot of thinking," he returned, still playful.

"Somebody has to," I shot back, fighting a chuckle.

"Hm. And I enjoy this overthinking? In the future?" he seemed unconvinced.

"Most of the time, no. Sometimes, you think it's funny," I answered him honestly. His grin was huge and genuine, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his cute little overbite making an appearance.

"I adore your candor," he informed me, still smiling.

"That's not gonna change," I told him, smiling back. He nodded and gestured toward the foot of the bed.

"I've set out a gown for you for the evening. It's much simpler than those you've worn to the palace. Godric and I need to feed tonight as well and so we thought we could go into the city together," he trailed off, not exactly asking.

"That would be lovely," I agreed. "Of course we do need to discuss Mr. Cabral and what his presence means," I added. His eyes flashed at the name but he nodded calmly.

"Of course. I'll leave you to get dressed. If you need assistance, simply call out my name," he said, his mouth tilting up in the corners as he stood. "I do so enjoy the way it sounds," he added, his eyes burning into mine. I couldn't even arrange a coherent response to that before he kissed my cheek and disappeared from the room. I tried to be embarrassed but mostly I was just turned on. Which sucked because he'd know it through our bond. Damn, so would Godric. Double damn, that meant Godric would've felt us last night! I closed my eyes briefly, cursing those bonds from here to Kingdom Come before pulling my big girl panties up (figuratively of course, since I was _stark freaking naked_) and reached for the gown.

I was shocked by how quickly I was able to get dressed. Since he hadn't set out most of the undergarments I'd been wearing lately, I took that to mean they weren't required. The gown really was quite different than what I'd been wearing and it sort of reminded me of the outfits that girls wear at Renaissance Fairs. It consisted of a light beige colored linen dress with long, loose sleeves. Next, I pulled on a dark chocolate colored velvet overdress. The linen was exposed at the sleeves and through the split in the front of the overdress. Since there weren't any undergarments to speak of, the dress wasn't as pouffy as the others and therefore I was able to move around much more easily. I assume that had as much to do with the wardrobe choice as the fact that we weren't going to the palace. I wasn't sure exactly how Godric and Eric typically found a meal. If they were hunters, I would need to move swiftly. If they were planning on going to The Little Rose, I would need free range of motion to whoop a ho's ass. So the dress was perfect either way.

I stepped in front of the mirror in the bedroom to make sure everything was in place and then I pulled my hair back into a makeshift topsy tail. As I splashed some water from the basin onto my face, I made a mental note to stop by the pond for a bath later that night. There was a small towel folded next to the basin which I dried my face with, then looked at my reflection for a few seconds. I was starting to get used to being here but I wasn't sure whether that should be comforting or scary. _One night at a time, _I reminded myself. I nodded at my own reflection and walked into the main room.

"Good evening," I said cheerily, deciding not to be awkward. We had a lot of business to get to and I didn't want to waste time.

"Good evening," they answered in unison. They were standing on either side of the chest against the wall. "Please, sit down," Eric stepped forward, pulling one of the chairs out from the table. I flitted over and sat down, arranging the skirt of my dress on my lap as I settled in. He stepped back and sat down on the chest, motioning for Godric to take the empty seat. Once we were all situated, Godric started the conversation.

"Were you able to find any information from Anne's thoughts at the palace last night?" he asked me. I nodded.

"I was but nothing in regards to her consuming the blood. She'd been glamoured and had no recollection of it," I answered. They both nodded, apparently having assumed as much. "What I did get was that she knows you, Eric, from France. Apparently you were there when she was a child?" I looked at him questioningly. His expression was smooth but I recognized the set of his eyes as he calculated.

"Indeed, I had forgotten. I was there some years gone, only stopping in Versailles to feed during my travels. I was summoned to the court for one evening after being spotted by one of the Queen's ladies, though I was certain I had glamoured those who'd seen me. I did not notice a child, though," he clenched his jaw, visibly perturbed. "I cannot believe I've been so careless," he added, resting his elbows on his knees and staring a hole in the carpet between his feet.

"We are none of us perfect," Godric said gently, looking at his progeny. Eric didn't move, clearly still upset with himself. "Bruder." Eric cut his eyes up to Godric without lifting his head. "We are not perfect," he repeated. After a silent moment, Eric nodded and relaxed his pose somewhat. "Please continue," Godric prompted me.

"She doesn't know what we are but she knows that Eric looks the same as when she first saw him and she's determined to learn his secret. She wants to become like us. Anne is very ambitious and in addition to her designs on the throne, she wishes to live forever," I told them. "That was about all I got from her. Brandon told me about Cabral but obviously we all met him. I didn't even think to go into his head figuring that he thought in another language, though I can try next time to be sure," I finished. Eric squinted up at me, wheels turning in his head.

"You shared a memory with us last night at the palace, to illustrate that you hoped to get information from Brandon," he appeared to be thinking out loud so I just nodded. "If you could share a memory as soon as you experienced it, perhaps we could solve your language issues. At least until we have had a chance to teach you." I wasn't following, mainly because I was hung up on the 'until we have a chance to teach you' part. Not that I was opposed to learning another language, I just wasn't certain how long I would be here and I didn't want Eric to get used to my presence in case I up and disappeared on them too. Fear feathered briefly up my back at the thought but I was able to repress it before they felt it.

"Brilliant!" Godric exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Can you try it?" He looked to me eagerly. I glanced between the two of them, still not sure what they were talking about.

"Can you try to listen into Godric's thoughts and remember them? And then share the memory with me?" Eric asked. I furrowed my brow, not sure if I'd have total recall with a foreign language. Although it really was a good idea if it would work. I nodded hesitantly.

"I can try but honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to remember it right," I told him. He shook his head once.

"You have my confidence," he said quickly, igniting a little warmth in my chest. "Please try, I'm certain this will work." He was leaning forward from his perch on the chest. I smiled at his enthusiasm and glanced over at Godric.

"Ready?" I asked, hoping it would work if for no other reason than to prove Eric right.

"Always," he answered instantly. I pulled my shields down and stepped into his mind, listening to the strange cadence of the foreign words for a few moments. It was really hard to even recognize the flow of his sentences with the odd lilt of his thoughts. I closed my eyes, hoping for better concentration. After a few moments, I remembered with all my might and focused on sending the memory to Eric. I opened my eyes to watch his face, seeing his eyes dilate just a tiny bit as the memory came into his mind.

"Yes, you've done it!" He exclaimed, reaching out and grasping my hand. I smiled, proud of myself. "He was reciting the opening stanza of Inferno. This is amazing, like nothing I've even imagined. Now we'll know the thoughts of others even when you don't understand their language," he was beaming.

"It was difficult to remember even that much, but I suppose if I randomly scan thoughts then you two could let me know when to get more from a specific person," I suggested.

"Yes, that will work perfectly," Godric agreed. I had to admit that this was pretty exciting. "Was there anything else you were able to get, Sookie?"

I shook my head. "No, that was about it. Although I did want to ask a couple of questions, if that's ok." They both nodded so I continued, looking at Godric. "You said that one of the major gods of your culture as a human was of the sky. I was wondering if that could be significant since I'm descended of the Sky Fae," I said, not sure exactly what I wanted to ask.

"When we learned that you were of Niall's line, I wondered the same. Throughout history, our kind and Fairies alike have played gods. With our inhuman strength and speed, our ability to manipulate minds, and the gifts we are sometimes given, we have been able to seduce entire cultures into willingly sacrificing themselves to us on a regular basis. It was especially common in the land I came from during the age that I was born. Even now, we have recently discovered this practice raging in the New World. Of course, the humans don't understand that but we know that is what it is. The reports coming back indicate that the barbaric people there sacrifice warriors and virgins to their gods in public ceremonies. Apparently the sacrifice is completed atop temples the people have constructed. The heart is cut from the body and the body is immediately ushered inside the temple where, I do not doubt, the vampire drains it.

"The priests there have claimed that the blood they give sustains the gods. Likewise the gods give their blood freely when required to sustain the race. The explorers have assumed they meant figuratively when the 'gods' are actually giving their blood literally. I assume this occurs before battles to strengthen the warriors and perhaps in the case of an ill or sickly human ruler. The act of sharing our blood with them and the effects it has on humans would appear to be a miracle to people ignorant of our true nature, thereby solidifying our 'divine' nature. The correspondence I have been able to read from the explorers indicates that there are four gods worshipped by this particular civilization and each has specific requirements. One accepts none but virgins. One takes only warriors blood. Another has decimated entire villages in wrath when sacrifices were not made while the fourth has burned their central city twice when angered by a non-virgin sacrifice. There are also specific schedules for these sacrifices, which enables us to guess the ages of the vampires ruling these people," he explained.

I was fascinated that the theory had never occurred to me. Of course it made perfect sense and it was actually a really smart plan. They didn't have to risk exposure, they were obviously treated with respect and fed regularly, and though it was cruel that their victims died, everything I'd read in the future indicated that those victims happily went to their deaths, believing that they were serving a higher purpose and sustaining their people. Which I guess they were, if their people were at risk of being burned alive without a regular sacrifice.

"The Fae have been known to do the same, although to my knowledge they have required nothing further than the adoration of the peoples they've reigned over. Every god and goddess worshipped by the Greek people are of Fae descent. Even the tales of the half divine such as Achilles are based on the products of Fae and human couplings. I have long suspected that Zalmoxis was Fae but have not been able to confirm it. I know not whether he is still worshipped and since my people were absorbed into the Roman population, I cannot trace the lineage through them. If there is a connection, I'm not certain what it is though it does seem overly coincidental," he concluded.

"I could listen to you talk about history forever," I said sincerely, fascinated by the scope of his knowledge. He smiled shyly at me, which was basically the most adorable thing on the planet.

"Hopefully we'll have the time, in which case I would dearly love to share everything with you," he answered. I squeezed Eric's hand, taken aback by the fervor in his words and the fact that I hoped we did too. But I should want to go back to the future, right? Ugh I didn't know what to think about that. What I did know was that I, clearly, was not running this show so any stray thoughts I had ultimately weren't going to affect the outcome of my situation.

"The last thing I wanted to ask was if it would be possible to meet Niall. I thought he might be able to help with my situation, or at least give some advice," I explained.

"We considered the same," Eric answered. "However, that is not a possibility as things stand. The Fae are in the midst of a raging battle amongst themselves and Niall has not been seen for some time in this realm. That is why we were surprised to learn that he was still alive in your time. We had assumed he'd been killed. Unfortunately, even knowing that he does live, there is no safe way for us to contact him. None of the Fae are what we would consider trustworthy and even if they were, precious few would trust us as vampires."

"I figured as much," I told him. It didn't sit well with me that Niall was in danger but knowing that he would survive put me at ease a bit. Godric nodded. "Were you able to learn anything more about Mr. Cabral?"

"Before we get to that, I want to apologize to you," Eric cut in, leaning closer to me. I furrowed my brow, unsure of what he'd done that warranted an apology. "I behaved quite boorishly last night. I cannot explain the connection I feel to you, I only know that it is strong. After you shared those memories with us, it only became stronger. I feel like I have a claim on you and so when Carbral baited me, I reacted. I apologize for my behavior and I swear that I will not force my attentions on you again," he said sincerely. I felt his emotions clearly and knew that he was genuinely sorry and also ashamed of himself.

"Eric, you didn't force anything on anybody," I answered, wanting to clear that up right off the bat. "If I didn't want you, you would know it. As far as your reaction to Cabral, that's your nature. You never need to apologize for being yourself," I told him. "Ok, I take that back. There are plenty of times you should probably apologize for being yourself," I amended, causing both Eric and Godric to chuckle. "But last night, he was purposely provoking you. I'm just glad that you didn't react at the palace."

"I thought you seemed to welcome my advance," he told me. If I could have blushed I probably would've turned purple right about then. "I only want you to know that I will not expect you to behave differently toward me based on our lovemaking last night." Yep, definitely purple. A nice eggplant shade.

"I appreciate that," I said slowly, trying to work out exactly what I wanted to tell him. "I do find it difficult to resist you but I don't want to be an anonymous lover either. Since I can't in all fairness ask you to stop-"

"Sookie, if you're suggesting that I might entertain the thought of being with another woman over you, then you are mistaken. As I've said, my connection to you was already strong. After last night, I find the thought of other women to be offensive," he cut me off. There was no doubt in my mind of his sincerity and it took a huge effort on my part to refrain from fist pumping in joy. It was getting harder and harder to remember that this was a temporary situation. Maybe.

"Well that's good," I said lamely, trying to hide how giddy I was at his revelation. "So we'll just take things a night at a time," I concluded. He nodded, smiling.

"I'd like that," he agreed. I nodded, looking at Godric. The odd thing was that I didn't feel weird at all about him witnessing this conversation at all.

"I agree," he chimed in. I hadn't realized I was asking him too until he answered. Although I couldn't have explained it, I felt like we fit together. Like the three of us were pieces of the same puzzle and needed each other to make sense. Then again, I had just been slingshotted back in time a few nights before so who could blame me for being a little wistful?

"Right. Ok. So, what do we know about Cabral otherwise?" I asked, wanting to get off that topic for the moment.

"After you left the palace last night, I was not able to gain much information. Only that his business partner will be arriving before the month is out and that they have an interest in Anne. He was very vague but I assume that feeding her his blood is a way for him to maintain a connection and stay apprised of her location. I don't know what they plan but perhaps with your newfound ability, we can decipher something soon. Have you been trained to fight, Sookie?" he asked abruptly, throwing me off with his question.

"Not formally, no. Eric and I have wrestled on occasion and sparred a little but that was all in fun," I told him. Feeling the need to defend Eric's lack of teaching me, I added,"I haven't been changed for long and there was no urgency to teach me. Our biggest enemies in the future are humans and it doesn't take skill or experience to overpower them individually."

"We may need to begin lessons," he said thoughtfully. Eric looked confused, which is how I felt. Not that I was opposed to learning, I was just surprised that he would want to teach me. "It is better if you are able to defend yourself. After you two left last night, two females arrived. Cabral introduced them as his brothers widows, which was obviously a ruse. I am not concerned with their presence so much as the fact that they smelled of wolves." My stomach dropped and I felt a sickening sense of deja vous. My brain was trying to put two and two together but something was missing.

"You don't suppose Cabral is the one I've been searching for, do you?" Eric's voice was deathly calm, which set all the pieces falling together.

"No, he's not," I answered, dread uncoiling in my gut and spreading out into my limbs. Their eyes snapped to my face, clearly surprised that I had spoken. I knew who he was looking for and I also knew I never wanted to see him again. The misery he'd caused our race as a whole was unprecedented and I couldn't stop the news clips from cascading into my mind; the vampire hate group rallies, the grainy home videos of vampires being chained to crucifixes and forced to meet the sun, the political talk of forced population control. It was a nightmare, a true disaster for us. My skin prickled as I realized that if Cabral's business partner was who I thought he was, then maybe I could prevent all of that. If he was taken care of now, if we could track him down and end him, then none of those awful things would happen in the future. "Did either of you happen to catch Mr. Cabral's first name?"

"Talbot," Godric answered quickly. I nodded, suspicion confirmed. I hadn't met Talbot before Eric killed him, but I knew the name well enough.

"The man you're looking for is his lover," I answered, feeling disconnected from my body as I spoke. "His name is Russell Edgington."

**A/N I know there was a lot of dialogue in this one and not a whole lot of action but we needed to get some stuff out in the open and this was the perfect time. Please let me know what you think and I promise I'll get the next chapter posted this week. Thanks SO much for reading =)**


	24. In Which We Visit A Pub

**I know, I know. I just updated today but I was literally bored out of my mind tonight and this chapter was fun to write. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review and basically be all around amazeballs. I love it. I hope you like this one! CH/AB own all this stuff. Except the ginger.**

Using words and memories to explain the entire chain of events, it took approximately an hour to relay everything and field their questions. Eric was supremely pleased to hear about the demise of the man he'd been tracking since his human life and especially happy that he was possibly only a month away from meeting him in the flesh. We could only assume that the business partner Cabral had referred to was Edgington and if that was the case, we needed to get the ball rolling on teaching me to fight. I had no doubt that Russell was going to be well protected considering that was basically how he rolled all through eternity, from what I'd gathered. Once we got on to that topic, there were a couple of things that needed to be discussed.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to tell you that I have a tiny bit of Fairy strength," I said casually. I really wasn't sure why I hadn't told them about it before, other than it hadn't come up.

"That explains how you overpowered me the night you arrived," Eric answered immediately. I nodded.

"Yes, but that was an accident. I haven't exactly mastered it yet. When I was human it was like a blue light in the palms of my hands. There were a couple of times when I was able to sort of throw it at people. Actually, the first time I did it, Edgington was there," I remembered as I spoke. I shook the thought from my head, hating that so many of my human memories were bad. I glanced over at Eric to see him staring at me all broodingly and remembered that I had some really good ones too, which made me feel a little better. "Anyway, after I was turned, we worked on it a little. I can still muster up the light when I concentrate but I can also channel it into my strength, sort of. It's hard to explain. There's no light but it makes me super strong. The bad part is that it doesn't last very long at all and I get really tired after I use it," I finished up. Guessing what the first question would be, I decided to add a disclaimer. "I'll show you what I mean, but it's best if I do it outside. Just before or after feeding."

"Understood," Godric answered. "We will need to begin teaching you strategy as soon as possible, though we also need to maintain a presence at court. I do not wish to appear weak or intimidated by Cabral and the female's presence. Especially if Cabral is mated with this Edgington only, because that means the female likely has a mate or two nearby as well. It's imperative that we change our habits as little as possible and since any human in the palace can attest to the fact that we are regularly in attendance, we should continue to be there."

"Luckily we do not always attend together," Eric interjected. "Which means that you can begin Sookie's training on tactics and I can continue to appear at court. Once she has a foundation, we can trade off with her training but I think we can both agree you would be the better teacher for strategy."

Godric chuckled. "Yes, you have a point there. We will need to appear together four or five times each fortnight, at the very least, to avoid suspicion. Now that Sookie is here, she will also need to attend. We could claim she was ill to fool the humans, but the vampires will need a better excuse. We certainly do not wish them to think she is either vulnerable or valuable and that we are protecting her by withholding her from their scrutiny."

"Yes, you are correct. Perhaps we can begin her training tomorrow evening and determine a schedule based on how she absorbs it. I am certain she will be a quick study," Eric added.

"I agree," Godric replied. I was starting to feel like a dog watching a tennis match, my head turning back and forth to look at each of them as they spoke. "We will also need to test the limits of your telepathy," Godric continued, looking directly at me. I nodded.

"Makes sense. We should probably see how far I can hear you both and also how far away I can project to you. In the future, I can hear Eric from nearly a mile away but with most others it's less than half of that. Unless the person knows I'm listening. I can hear farther if you think directly at me, if that makes any sense," I floundered. It made sense in my head but I wasn't sure if I'd explained it clearly enough. When they nodded, I assumed I had.

"It would likely be best for us to exchange blood regularly as well," Eric observed. "It will strengthen our connection, make it easier to find each other, give us greater insight into your emotions. That way if you are in danger at any point, we will know immediately. It may even serve to strengthen your ability to hear us and share your memories with us," he finished. While I wasn't crazy about the whole emotion part of it, I couldn't deny that he had a point and so I just nodded.

"Not to mention that our blood will make you stronger," Godric added. "We can begin that tonight, though perhaps we should feed first."

"Yes, before the humans go to their homes for the evening," Eric concurred.

"Where do you typically go to feed?" I asked as we stood and prepared to leave.

"The Little Rose," Eric replied. I may or may not have snarled at the thought. He may or may not have chuckled. "We do not require an invitation since it is not a home and the women there are easily glamoured," he explained. I rolled my eyes but had to acknowledge that it would be pretty quick and easy for them. Kinda like a fast food joint. But with hookers. "Although if you are opposed, there are plenty of alehouses and inns in the city that we can try instead," he was trying not to appear as amused as he was.

I glowered up at him. "I'm opposed."

"Very well," he turned his face toward the entrance to hide his smirk. I cut my eyes over to Godric, who likewise turned away but not before I saw his little grin too. I hmph'ed and gathered my skirts up to make my way through the tunnel. When I emerged, I turned my face to the sky to take in the moon and stars again. I couldn't get over how clear they were. The sky was a velvety blue and the twinkling of the stars was hypnotic. The air smelled so clean and everything seemed so new that I had a moments regret for the damage we would do to the planet over the next few centuries.

"Shall we?" Godric asked gently. I shook myself out of my revery in time to see Eric replacing the stone over the portal to our home. Their home. Their lair. The lair which belonged to them and not me. I was getting all kinds of confused the longer I was here.

"We shall," I confirmed, following them out of the woods. We made pretty good time getting into the city and I realized as we made our way through the streets that I seriously needed to start paying attention to the paths we took. Unless Godric planned to include a section in my training titled 'Finding Ye Olde Way Home'. Which I sincerely doubted. It was too late to worry about it now, but on the way back I would definitely be more attentive.

It was still relatively early in the evening, judging by the number of people out and about. There were carriages bustling down the main streets, people rushing by on foot, even groups staggering along drunkenly singing together. Every now and then a door would open, spilling sounds of laughter and yelling into the night air. As we wove our way between the people, I again marveled at the fact that I was even here. To be experiencing this time was truly amazing, even if I hadn't recognized that when I had first arrived.

"This should do," Eric announced, stopping before a cheery looking little pub of some kind. He held open the door and smiled down at me. "After you, my lady." I couldn't help but grin at him as I stepped through the door.

The scene that met me was so cliche I had to cover my mouth to hide my laugh. There were big wooden tables in orderly rows, overflowing with drunken, red-faced butcher types, all of whom were grasping stein-like mugs of beer. Or ale or whatever it was called. Near the back were a couple of smaller card tables set up, inhabited by what I assumed were the gentry or possibly even young dukes, playing at gambling. They were dressed very finely and were behaving pretty boisterously. There were a couple of harried looking barmaids (wenches?) rushing around the place with empty mugs and frazzled hair. Sitting in stools along the counter were a few old men, bickering back and forth with each other good naturedly. The bartender was in the middle of one of these conversations, though he was middle-aged. He was portly with a thick gray mustache and a twinkle in his eye. He even had a towel thrown over his shoulder. And of course there were a few hookers wandering around the place, clearly identifiable by their abundance of cleavage and overly made up faces.

I made my way toward the end of the bar, where there were some empty stools. There were a couple of catcalls aimed in my direction but I studiously ignored them. I hoped Eric would too or else he'd blow my cover. I seriously doubted I could convince a guy to go outside with me if they thought the Viking behind me was my husband. When I got to the end, I sat between two empty stools. Eric and Godric settled into them, covertly taking in our surroundings. I had an odd, fleeting desire for a big old glass of beer but it passed as soon as I remembered how sick it would make me. Been there, done that.

"Recognize anyone?" Godric asked Eric nonchalantly. Eric swept the room once more with his eyes.

"No. Do you?"

"No," Godric responded.

"Me either," I threw in just because I wanted to join the conversation. That earned me a chuckle from both of them and I smiled in return.

"So what shall it be? Brothers and sister? Friends? Cousins, perhaps?" Godric suggested. I wrinkled my brow in thought, glancing at Eric to see if he had any ideas. When he didn't answer, I spoke up.

"How about if you and I are brother and sister," I said to Godric. "And Eric is married to our wealthy old countess of a mother?" That earned me wicked grins from both of them.

"Intriguing," Godric answered.

"So be it," Eric agreed. I cheesed all goofy, pleased with myself. Just then, the bartender approached.

"Well, which of you is the lucky fool who married this one, then?" he asked, smiling at me from ear to ear. I snorted and gave him a genuine grin back.

"I'm afraid you've got me all wrong," I answered in a fake English accent which, according to my bonds, Godric and Eric found hysterical. "This here is my stepfather Carlisle and this one is my brother Edward. My name's Bella and I'm pleased to meet you," I told him, sticking my hand out and trying really hard not to crack up laughing. He laughed out loud as he shook my hand.

"Pleasure's mine, Bella. You're a cheeky one, I gather," he observed.

"So I've been told," I returned. I couldn't help it, I was in a really good mood.

"What'll you be havin then?" he asked, leaning one arm onto the counter of the bar, still grinning.

"Ought to bring us three pints, I suppose," I answered, nodding. He made an impressed face and headed toward the other end of the bar to get our drinks.

"Impressive," Eric observed. I smiled at him, pretty proud of my impromptu performance. "So I'm Carlisle, then?" he asked, amused. I nodded, giggling.

"Trust me, that'll be hilarious in about 500 years," I assured him. Music suddenly began wafting through the air, drawing my attention to a corner of the room. I hadn't noticed the little quartet there before and wondered briefly if they'd come in through a back entrance or something. One man had a flute, one had something that looked pretty similar to it, and the other two had stringed instruments. The tune they were playing was upbeat and just added to my all around happy mood.

"What instruments are those?" I inquired of Godric, keeping my eyes on the musicians.

"The two in front have a flute and a fife and the others are playing lutes," he explained. Lutes! They had actual lutes! I was giddy, having heard of them in my romance novels but never seen and especially never heard one in real life before. "Are these not popular in the future?"

"The flute is, but I've never seen a fife or a lute before. I have heard of them, though," I answered. He nodded, absorbing the small revelation about the future in stride.

I barely suppressed a shriek of surprise when a man popped up right in front of my face. "My lady," he said, bowing dramatically. When he straightened, I had to smile. He had fiery red hair, a face full of freckles, and an unfortunately large nose. None of which, apparently, affected his confidence in the least. "You would honor me with a dance."

I compressed my lips in an attempt not to laugh out loud for a moment. "I'm afraid I am not familiar with the dances of this area, but would be more than grateful if you were to instruct me," I confessed.

"But of course," he answered graciously, making a show of holding his arm out for me. I glanced between Eric and Godric, confirming that they were most amused by my unlikely suitor, before taking his arm. As he whisked me out into the midst of the tables, I decided there was nothing wrong with having a nice, fun evening. Especially considering that the weeks ahead would likely be anything but. When we squared up to dance, I noticed he was a solid foot shorter than me and had to laugh. Yes, tonight I would definitely focus on fun.

**A/N So that was a fun one, eh? We got some info, made some plans, and saw a lute! Next up, more blood swappin' and then the training begins! Pretty please let me know what you thought and thanks (as always) for reading =)**


	25. In Which My Restraint Bites Ye Olde Dust

**I am a cad! A reprehensible, loathsome, vile being! I know it! RL has been kicking the shit out of me lately and I've been rediscovering why I prefer to stay single (new-ish bf, future is not looking good for him lol). I cannot apologize enough for the delay in posting or for the shotty review response I've been giving. I want you to know that I do appreciate every single review that you guys give me. I absolutely **_**love**_** that you are loving this story, especially the historical parts of it (I'm a total history geek and love discovering that there are others like me) so please don't be offended that I'm a complete tool. This chapter is a little different but I think it works. I really hope you like it! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

We fell into a schedule over the next week. Blood exchange, lesson, feeding, blood exchange, sleep. Allow me to elaborate.

Every evening when I woke up, Eric and I would exchange blood. It never got any less sexy, either. In fact, it seemed to become more arousing each time we fed from each other. Same with Godric, but I'm getting ahead of myself. After Eric and I completed our bonding for the evening, he was off to the castle. The only new information he obtained was that in addition to the two females Godric had encountered, there was another male. We were uncertain of whether Talbot and Russell were part of this coven or only traveling with them. It was not unheard of for groups to coexist when it was in their best interest or to repay some type of favor. Of course, these associations never lasted long; it was very difficult for non-nested vampires to tolerate each other's presence for any considerable amount of time.

After Eric left each night, Godric would get right down to my lesson. The first part of what we went over was done in discussion form. We started with popular tactics that we, as vampires, would use to manipulate each other in battle. For example, being that we were notoriously short tempered, it was quite easy to goad another vampire into action verbally. Obviously this was handy on more than one level. First, it stands to reason that acting out of anger clouds your judgement and makes you sloppy. Second, by orchestrating the reaction of your opponent, you could direct the fighting to play out to your advantage. Lastly, you could potentially force an opponent to tire themselves with fruitless attacks.

The lessons transitioned into the physical realm when he taught me about our weak spots. Obviously, there are certain surefire ways to kill a vampire.

1. Wooden stake through the ticker.

2. Silver bullets (which hadn't come into popular use just yet).

3. Beheading.

4. Dismembering.

5. Fire.

6. The sun.

Now, there were some things on that list that I wasn't too crazy about trying. Fire, which was too uncontrollable to use safely. And the sun, which I would want to avoid for obvious reasons. After Godric explained that silver bullets were hard to come by and that the firing mechanisms in guns of this time were faulty (read: might backfire into your own face), that one got nixed off the list as well.

Which left me with staking, beheading and dismembering. Can't say I was a big fan of any of these methods, but I was willing to learn if it might save us. Staking was pretty straightforward. Get the stake, stab the vamp. Beheading and dismembering sound simple too, but there were some tricks. For example, in order to speed up the process, it's best to make a cut or gouge in the skin first. That way your fingers can get some purchase to actually tear the head or limbs off. So biting with your teeth, cutting with a knife or sharp object, and tearing with your fingernails would be the best process. Glamorous, I know.

The next area he taught me about was running and hiding. Which sounds yellow bellied but I was so not above it. If it would keep me from having to bite a hole in some strangers neck so I could rip their head off, I would gladly turn tail and get the heck out of Dodge. The thing about running is that you're either faster than your pursuer or you're not. If they are older than you, you're SOL. Which is where hiding comes in. As vampires, we have heightened senses, which make tracking others pretty easy for us. The tricks to successfully hiding are pretty simple and also pretty nasty. Manure, for one. Best thing you could hope for was a big old steaming pile to roll around in and cover your scent. If not excrement, then mud or animal blood was also handy. The more I learned about this method, the more attractive beheading became.

Godric was an excellent teacher, though. He thoroughly discussed each point he made, quizzing me as he went along. Throughout the nights, he would create imaginary scenarios and ask me what I would do. How I should react. What the enemy was hoping for. He would also tell me stories of his past both with and before Eric, when he had relied on one or more of these tactics to stay alive. Throughout the course of his life, vampires had evolved quite a bit. Apparently, when he was first made, we were quite barbaric creatures. Few, if any, had regard for human life and barely more for other vampires. The old 'kill or be killed' mentality was the law of the land.

While I didn't relish hearing of his and Eric's brushes with death, I did enjoy listening to his stories. I was completely fascinated by all of the things he had seen, the knowledge he had acquired, and the people he had known. Like Cleopatra. He knew freaking Cleopatra. Not well, but he had met her in Rome not long after he became vampire. I quizzed him on every detail I could think of. How tall she was (about my height), if she was beautiful (not really, though she had such a regal bearing that it appeared as though she were), did her eldest son look like Caesar (who he also freaking knew but had unfortunately never seen Caesarion) and so on. He was delighted by my need for knowledge and never tired of answering my questions. I tried not to get off track too often, though, realizing that the important thing was to learn how to defend myself.

After the lesson wrapped up for the evening, we would travel to the city to feed if I needed it. One good thing about all the blood swapping was that my appetite decreased exponentially. Since I'd been taking their blood each evening, I only felt the need to feed every other night. Which was a huge development for me, since I previously needed human blood each evening. Also, we had been working with my ability to project memories. I was getting much better at it, but the more exciting development was that the stronger our bonds became, the more thought-like my projections were. Godric still could not read my thoughts, but if I focused on it, I could transfer actual thoughts instead of remembered happenings. Which was ridiculously awesome and something we were focused on developing more. Another good side effect was that I was waking earlier and going to sleep later. Both Eric and Godric still rose before I did, but I had gained a little over an hour a night throughout the course of the week.

The down side? I was worse than a teenaged boy with all the perverted thoughts running around in my head. Since that first night, Eric and I hadn't had a chance to be intimate again.

Which was fine.

Really, it was.

Seriously.

Except my lady parts were shriveling up and threatening to die. And that was just my normal nature. Not to mention the fact that I had to go through the bonding not once but twice _every single freaking night_ with no kind of release. I was just proud of myself for not assaulting anyone yet. But time was ticking.

Oddly enough, it was easier with Eric. When we exchanged, he was usually trying to keep an appointment at court. Which meant that we had to be quick about it so he could get to the palace. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't hell on my fallopian tubes to disengage and watch him walk out the door, and I knew that it was no easier on him. Not only was it written all over his face (and the stretched fabric of his pants) but I could feel his desire through our bond. Luckily, though, I was usually able to collect myself within a few minutes of him leaving.

Godric, on the other hand, had nowhere to be other than with me and that made it all the more difficult to resist him. If we went out to hunt, we would exchange blood when we returned. If I didn't need to feed that night, the exchange occurred directly after the lessons concluded. It was obvious that he wanted me as much as I wanted him, blood or no blood. But I was still trying to work out how I felt about it. I knew that Eric had no qualms, because he'd specifically told me so himself. God, was that only a week ago? Two weeks? Time had been blurring for a while and I honestly had no idea how long I'd been there anymore. It felt like forever, in a really good way.

Regardless of that fact, though, I couldn't stop worrying about the implications. What if I did sleep with Godric and then regretted it? How would that affect our relationship going forward? What if Godric ended up having a problem with us being together? What if Eric decided he wasn't ok with it after all? Not that we necessarily had a relationship, I guess. I mean, he had told me the night after we'd made love that he had no desire to be with another woman but knowing how sexual he was added to the fact that we hadn't been together since then had me worrying a little. The only reason I hadn't pulled a Bobbit on his ass was because I hadn't felt any lust coming through his bond when he was away. Ok, that's a little harsh. But see? How could I expect him to be ok with me sleeping with Godric if the mere thought of him sleeping with anyone else had me waxing homicidal?

These were the thoughts that plagued me every time I had a little visual fantasy of one or the other (and one particularly memorable time, both) of them. Which was, oh, every three minutes or so. Give or take.

Regardless of the mental agony I was putting myself through, things were coming to a boiling point and I was eventually going to have to shit or get off the pot. Pardon my French. That was the realization I came to on the last night of my training with Godric. Our presence was required at the castle the following evening and so we were reviewing the topics that he'd taught me so far. Having gone through most of the list, he was regaling me with tales of historic figures he'd known as we we sat in the front room, our chairs facing each other before the table.

"Vlad the Impaler?" I asked, incredulous. First off, it was way too ironic that Godric and Eric had known him and second, the nickname _Impaler_ wasn't helping my little situation. At all.

"Yes, vile man he was," Godric answered with clear distaste. "Brilliant warrior, though."

"He was the inspiration for Dracula," I told him, just as I realized that Dracula hadn't been created yet. Which was clear by the look of confusion on his face. "Oh man, where do I even start? Dracula was one of the first vampires to be romanticized in history. Which is weird, because he was the bad guy. Although I think some of the intrigue may have come from his brides," I started. I went on to tell him my opinion of the novel as well as the bare facts. I have to admit I almost expected him to tell me Dracula really existed. It was something I had never thought to ask Eric about, though I was curious about it. I know it sounds far fetched, but a couple of years ago, so did vampires on the whole.

And time travel.

He chuckled when I asked. "Sadly, no. Although he sounds like an intriguing character," he agreed.

"Oh he definitely was," I answered, laughing with him.

As my laughter subsided, I realized that he was staring at me intently, the smile on his face fading to a slow burn in his eyes. It was clear that something had shifted, the entire energy of the room changing. I cleared my throat and tilted my head in silent inquiry. He leaned forward suddenly, so suddenly he caught me off guard. Luckily I have no flight reflex to speak of, and I stayed perfectly where I was. His face was within an inch or two of my own and I felt a heavy pulsing in my abdomen as I realized what he intended.

"Godric," I breathed, not wanting to move but not sure that I should stay still.

His eyes fastened on my mouth as he leaned further, tilting his head slightly. "Do you need to feed this night?" His voice was low, barely audible over the sudden roaring in my ears. Unable to verbally answer him that I did not, I shook my head slowly. I couldn't take my eyes off of his face, the look he wore was so intense, so focused, it was almost frightening. In the most erotic way. "Then let us feed from each other," he murmured, dropping to his knees before my chair. Moving in an entirely predatory way, so differently than what I was used to, his body was sending chills into my core. His fangs extended and when I heard the sound, my own pounded out of my mouth. I realized I had subconsciously scooted to the edge of my chair, positioning my legs on either side of his torso. The thin dress I was wearing fell loosely between my knees, giving my assent more clearly than words.

He carefully leaned in the final distance and slowly brushed my hair away from my neck. The feel of his fingers on my skin made me shiver and the soft exhale of his breath sent goosebumps chasing each other up my neck. The anticipation of his strike chased every last rational thought out of my mind and a moment later, when I felt him pierce my skin, I actually cried out with pleasure. The pain of his fangs embedded in my flesh along with the divine feeling of his draws against my skin was driving me insane.

In one swift movement, he stood, pulling me up into his arms. He never broke his contact with my neck as I wrapped my legs around him, mindlessly arching against his body. I realized dimly that we were fast approaching a major turning point but the last thing I wanted to do was stop. My body was pulsing and I was so caught up in the moment that if he hadn't deposited me on the bed an instant later, I wouldn't have known we'd even moved. Taking one last, strong pull of my blood, he slid slowly out of me. With singleminded purpose, his knee parted mine and my legs wrapped around him again as he stepped in closer.

In my haste to get him back into my body, however that had to happen, I pulled him down onto the bed with me. Our lips met in a frenzied kiss, the passion that had previously simmered slowly was now boiling out of control. I ran my hands along his neck and writhed slowly beneath his body. He broke the kiss to brush his lips along my neck as he worked to pull my skirt out of the way. My skin was on fire as I lifted his shirt. It was the work of a moment and then I threw it to the side to run my hands down over his chest. He smiled and slowly worked his hips against mine as he brushed his thumb against the punctures on my neck, the skin throbbing under his touch. Just the pressure of his body cradled by my hips was driving me into a frenzy, and a low growl escaped my throat.

His hand went to the base of my spine, pulling me firmly against him as he cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing over my nipple. I was seriously in meltdown mode.

"Godric, please," I breathed as I leaned up, taking his earlobe between my teeth. He let out a low moan and fumbled with the waist of his pants, still keeping me firmly in place with his left hand. He rubbed his length against my clit purposefully, and I froze in the middle of kissing the spot on his neck just behind his ear. The edges of my vision darkened, I was already on the edge of a monstrous orgasm. I tilted my pelvis forward a bit and pulled him toward me forcefully.

He groaned aloud as I pulled him into me. I froze as he buried himself in me, consumed by the feel of his body within mine. After only a moment, we began to move together. The fullness of the feeling, the friction as our bodies worked with each other, shattered me within a few precious seconds, my entire core pulsating with the release. I had never gone this quickly; he was still setting a rhythm but I was so sensitive in the moment after release that I unconsciously pulled back from him. His hand on my hip was like a vise, preventing my retreat. The intensity of the feeling combined with the deepness of his penetration in those sensitive moments after my release was driving me wild.

Since he was clearly intent on pushing me past my breaking point, I decided to be just as relentless. I pulled him toward me forcefully, sliding my hands down his back to the swell of his bottom, then squeezed and pushed him in even further. When he was almost deeper than I could stand, I squeezed my muscles as tight as I could and he faltered, his face above me going perfectly blank for a moment. I smiled and took the opportunity to roll him over to his back. I settled myself over him, exerting more control than I thought I was capable of to hold off my second wave long enough to break him.

I kept as steady a rhythm as I was able, my muscles on the verge of liquefying. He was visibly straining as he grabbed my hips tightly in both hands and guided me to the rhythm he needed. I knew I wasn't going to make it much longer, but I was not going twice before him. In one liquid movement, I shot forward and struck his chest with my fangs. As his skin punctured and his blood oozed thickly into my mouth, I sucked hard and quick against his skin. He shouted, hips bucking violently beneath mine. I used all my force to pin him to the bed as I shuddered in my own climax.

Disengaging when the last vibrations rolled through my body, I licked his chest softly and ran my fingers lightly over the already closing wound. His own fangs were still extended but his face was entirely relaxed, his eyes nearly closed. The sweet taste of his blood was heavy on my tongue and I could see a smudge of my own on the corner of his mouth. He rolled me over on to my back and positioned himself above me, supporting his weight on his elbows.

He leaned down slowly and kissed my forehead, one hand cupping the side of my face. I smiled faintly and reached up to touch his face as well, running my thumb over his full bottom lip. His eyes closed briefly and he leaned his cheek into my palm. Bending his head toward me, his mouth pressed against mine in what would be considered a chaste kiss under literally any other circumstances. But in that moment, it was like the sealing of a pact. I leaned up and kissed him back, loving the feel of his lips against mine, unable to deny that this felt right. As he studied my face, I felt myself starting to drift to sleep. Not because the night was pulling me away from the sun, but because I was sated. Exhausted in the most lovely way.

I sighed, fingers trailing through his short, dark hair. "This changes everything."

"And nothing at all," he answered softly.

**Well guys, we knew this was coming. Or at least, I knew this was coming. Surely you at least suspected it. I have a feeling some of you may think it was too soon, but remember, we fast forwarded through a week in the beginning of this chapter. Also, like I said, this was coming all along and is **_**super**_** important to the rest of this tale. I (probably) wouldn't throw pointless lemons out there and don't want anyone to think this story is going to turn into Sex Fest 1532, 'cause it's not. Like I said, the evolution of the story depends on this and it was time. I really hope you liked it!**


	26. In Which I Woman Up

**Muse is back in full force on this one, so I was able to get this chapter out super quick. Thanks for the amazing reviews you lovelies leave me, I seriously adore them =) We're shifting into the thick of the plot now, so I hope you enjoy! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

When I woke up the next night, I could hear Eric and Godric talking quietly in the front room. I stretched my arms above my head in a yawn, preparing to get out of bed. When my weight shifted onto my slightly sore lady parts as I sat up, the night before came rushing back and I froze in place. I briefly considered diving back under the blankets. Or faking temporary deafness/blindness. Anything to avoid facing those two. I mean, talk about awkward! I was rapidly approaching panic mode between second guessing what had seemed so right the night before with Godric and preparing to drown in a tsunami sized wave of guilt over betraying Eric when the men in question appeared in the doorway.

I cringed away from their concerned faces, trying to cover my emotions with a nonchalant smile and a halfhearted wave. "What's up?" I screeched in a manic kind of tone. I'd been going for cool and unaffected but clearly my brain was all over the place. I cleared my throat and tried again, focusing on bringing it down an octave. "Good evening." Definitely overshot that, landing distinctly in Barry White territory. Deciding that was enough out of me for the moment, I clammed up and fervently prayed for an underground lightning bolt to strike me dead. For good this time.

"Is everything all right?" Eric asked uncertainly, taking a step into the room.

"Of course! Sure, yes, totally," I answered nervously, glancing tightly between the two of them. They were wearing identical expressions of confusion and concern. Eric turned to look at Godric.

"A moment?" he asked in a low voice.

"Of course," Godric bowed his head slightly, glancing at me briefly. "I'll wait for you outside." I felt like the biggest a-hole on earth as he turned and left. Eric walked over and slowly sat at the foot of the bed, smoothing the blanket next to his leg. He kept his eyes on his fingers as they ran over the fabric.

"You are feeling guilty? About Godric?" he asked softly.

"Yes." He hummed in affirmation, then let the silence stretch for a bit. I looked down at my lap, becoming quite interested in the handful of covers around my waist.

"Why?" he asked. "Do you regret being with him?" I looked up at that to see him staring back at me intently.

"No, it's not that," I answered quickly. "I just, I feel like I betrayed you," I sighed heavily, dropping my eyes again. I felt the bed shift under his weight as he leaned toward me. His fingers under my chin were gentle and I reluctantly looked up. Bright blue eyes gazed softly into mine, and a slight smile played on his lips.

"I am not in the habit of saying things I do not mean," he began. I opened my mouth to object but he continued speaking. "When I told you that being with Godric would not be an infidelity to me, I was speaking the truth. Being with him is not taking away from me. If you wish to be with both of us, nothing would make me happier." I searched his face, seeing sincerity and finding only the same through our bond. One of his big hands covered both of mine, his thumb stroking my skin. "However, I do not want you to be with him to make me happy. Or to be with me because you feel obligated. Whatever you choose will be respected by both of us. Even if you do not choose either," he finished.

"That's not what I want," I answered immediately, causing him to smile. "I am drawn to you and to Godric," I floundered a bit, trying to decide what to say. After a moment, I realized I was being ridiculous. I was a grown woman who needed to own up to the decisions I had made and stand up for what I wanted. Even if it was a little unconventional. "I desire you both, very much."

His eyes flared, causing a little flutter in my stomach. "Then we are through with this guilt?"

I nodded. "Completely," my voice was firm even if my insides were wishy washy with both relief and disbelief. Imagine getting a Moon Bounce for your birthday as a kid. Looks awesome. Seems like the real deal. But you're scared to get close enough to touch it in case it disappears. That's about how I felt at that moment. And then he leaned in and kissed me carefully on the lips, confirming the fact that this was all really happening.

"Perhaps you should inform Godric of your decision?" he raised his eyebrows, nodding toward the ceiling. Only then did I realize the tension coming through my bond from him and cursed myself for being so insensitive. I nodded, pulling the blankets from my legs and sliding off the bed. I smoothed my hair down a little bit and walked to the doorway.

"Eric?" I asked, turning my head to see him watching me intently from his seat on the bed.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," I told him. He smiled brightly at me.

"Of course, my Sookie," he answered. I smiled back at him and flitted across the front room.

As I made my way up the ladder, I tried to come up with what I was going to say to Godric. After a few seconds, I emerged from the tunnel. I glanced left and right, not noticing him at first.

"I am here," he called softly from behind me. I spun around to see him standing a couple of yards away, wringing his hands. He took a couple of hurried steps toward me before stopping abruptly. "I am so sorry for last evening," he said in a rush. I started to speak but he held a hand up to stop me. "I never even asked what you wanted, I cannot believe I was such a brute."

"Godric, I wanted-"

"You can't hep that, it's the blood," he wiped a hand across his face. "I swear that will not happen again," he resolved, looking directly at me. The guilty look he was wearing was torture for me.

"Listen to me, I wanted you before that. I've imagined being with you prior to last night," I told him. He searched my face.

"You have?" he sounded unsure.

"Yes. I just didn't know how to react down there," I motioned to the tunnel impatiently. "Eric helped me think it over and I've decided that if you both want me, I want you too," I finished a little lamely. He looked at me for another moment before he began to smile, tentatively at first. When I took a step toward him, his face split into an adorable grin and he walked toward me as well. We met in the middle, his arms pulling me into a tight embrace.

"I cannot express how relieved I am," he said into my hair. I squeezed him back, feeling pretty relieved myself. "I know it doesn't make much sense but our connection means so much to me," he murmured. I nodded, understanding just what he meant.

"I feel the same way," I agreed. "I can't imagine being without either of you," I told him. Only then did I realize how true that was.

He leaned back from me, hands sliding up to my shoulders. "And I can't imagine us without you," he answered. A quick kiss on the cheek and a grin punctuated his statement.

I suddenly found myself fervently hoping that I would remain there with them. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, or what was going on in the future, or even how I had come to be there in the first place. But I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I belonged there, right there where I was. I also knew with certainty why I had been sent. I was never an advocate of murder, even my newly acquired vampire nature hadn't changed that. But if Russell Edgington's death could prevent the deaths of so many others in the future, that was something I could live with. And if I could save Godric along the way? Well, that sounded like destiny to me.

…..

Arriving at the castle later that evening, I have to say I was a little nervous. Not only because I'd had a bit of a break from court life and was dreading the new ways I'd surely make a fool out of myself, but also because of the other vampires. Eric had said that on most evenings, they were all in attendance. So it was likely that all four of them, Talbot, the male and the two females, would be there that evening.

I'd chosen a dark burgundy gown with seed pearl accents and matching slippers. It fit well and contrasted nicely with my light coloring. If I was doomed to be forever tan-less, I might as well make the most of it. With a little assistance, I'd gotten my hair arranged around the crown of my head and was pretty happy with the outcome.

When we were ushered in to the ballroom, I noticed the throne area was empty though the room was full. It took only moments for me to identify the vampires, all of whom were present. Talbot was standing with one of the females, a beautiful blonde of obvious Scandinavian descent. With her white-blonde hair, ice blue eyes and insanely gorgeous bone structure, she could have been Eric's sister. The male and other female were in a cluster of people near the balcony doors. The male had beautiful hair, light brown flecked with gold, that framed a handsome baby face. The female with him wore her dark red curls loose down her back and was charmingly beautiful; snub nose, light dusting of freckles, vivid green eyes.

I took stock of them quickly, determined not to let my interest show. As planned, my guards were down so that I could scan for information. I was delighted to note that with the increased blood exchanges, it was quite easy for me to focus on specific thoughts. The buzz of human minds in the room dulled to vague background noise with only the slightest exertion. I was equally delighted to note that the male thought in English. Unfortunately, he was the only one. Talbot was thinking in Italian, which I vaguely recognized from movies I'd seen. Would see? Gah. The blonde was thinking in a language so familiar that it confirmed my suspicions; she had to be Swedish. The redhead was thinking in a strange, guttural sounding language. If I had to guess, I would have said Gaelic. It only fit with her coloring and what I knew of the language on the whole. I realize that was a bit stereotypical but it was the best guess I could make. Sue me.

As Eric led the way through the crowd, I did a quick scan and transferred their thoughts.

_Nothing, just chatter. _Godric thought at me.

_What is that third language?_

_Gaelic._

Ha! Knew it. Doing an internal fist pump at my accidental intelligence, I kept a grip on Godric's forearm. Since our 'engagement' had been announced, we'd decided he would escort me into the palace. I realized we were making our way toward Talbot and the blonde, and girded myself for the introduction. I already didn't like the looks of her and was feeling uncharacteristically territorial, despite the fact that she was nested with the male and female across the way. Or at least that was what Eric had surmised.

"Northman, good evening," Talbot noticed Eric first.

"What a pleasure to see you again," the blonde chimed in. I focused on not reacting, though my ninja skills were on alert.

"Cabral, Lady Cabral," he nodded at each. Right, I forgot the females were going under the guise of Talbot's sisters in law. "You remember my associate, Mr. Pictwell? And of course, my dear sister Skjaldvör."

Talbot bent over my hand in a flourish, though did not taunt Eric this time.

"Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance again, dear lady," he greeted me. "You have not met my dearly departed eldest brothers lovely widow, Edda," he stepped back, laying his hand on the blonde's arm. She gave me an icy smile and inclined her head.

"_Med et navn som denne, jeg antar du taler språk_?" she said, one eyebrow raised. I had no idea what she said but responded with the thought that Eric was pushing at me.

"_Hvorfor har du noen gang ville du tror elders_?" I even used the snotty tone he was thinking in, which was fine by me.

"_Du er verdens med de mørke ett_?" she returned.

"_Begge, faktisk_." Her eyebrows shot up and I thought how awesome it would be to have the faintest idea of what the hell I was saying.

"_Ekstraordinær. Jeg har aldri sett en rede med to menn og bare én ovine_," she answered slowly. Eric considered for only a second before supplying me with my next thought.

"_Vel, jeg er en ekstraordinær kvinnliga_," I recited. She chuckled at that, but not in a nice way. The smile I gave her in response wasn't very nice either, so I'd say we were even. Might not have been the best idea to start out on that foot but I couldn't see us having a sleepover any time soon, anyway.

"You are cheeky," she switched to English.

"So I've heard," I answered her right back. The men fell into conversation in the lull that followed. I feigned interest simply to avoid the blonde. Luckily a few moments later, a dark complected man approached and asked her for a dance. Godric and Cabral became engaged in a discussion about coffee beans, of all things, and I took the opportunity to 'talk' to Eric.

_What the hell was all that with the blonde? _

One corner of his mouth curled ever so slightly as I glanced at him and then quickly away.

_She was testing you to see if you spoke the language at first. When you responded in the affirmative, she asked which of us you were bonded with. You told her both. She found that extraordinary, having never seen two males bonded with the same female. So you informed her that you are an extraordinary female. That's when she switched to English._

His tone was self-satisfied, even in his mind, and I had to repress a good natured eye roll. Arrogant Swede.

Eventually, Eric and I drifted into the crowd, mingling as he greeted humans he had dealings with. I kept my guards down and continued to scan the thoughts of the vampires present. The male and the redhead had noticed our arrival and were making their way over to greet Godric. I found it amazing that Eric was able to converse smoothly with the humans around us while absorbing and translating the thoughts I was sending him. We had just stopped to speak with a haughty old lady, who I found oddly charming, when Godric called my name in his mind. If I hadn't been so absorbed with her, I would never have reacted so openly.

Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking and everything happened very quickly. I looked directly at him when I heard my name.

_Anne has arrived. _I cut my gaze toward the door to see her being ushered through. _It would be ideal to gain an early audience so that we can depart, _Godric thought. I turned back to Eric, who looked down at me.

"Anne is here," I murmured under my breath, in a voice so quiet that only Eric could hear. "Godric would like to see her soon." He nodded infinitesimally and bid the woman a good evening.

As we turned away from the corner we'd been standing in, I glanced back toward Godric out of reflex but my eyes landed on Talbot instead. Who was staring at me intently. In a moment of clarity, I realized he'd witnessed the entire exchange. Hoping against hope that he'd misunderstood what had happened, I scanned all of his thoughts and pushed them toward Eric and Godric.

When I felt Eric go still at my side, I knew.

_He saw that, didn't he?_ I thought at him, looking up into his face.

His eyes tightened for a split second before he answered.

_Yes. He saw._

**So…what didja think? Unlike Sookie, I can't read minds so you're gonna have to review if you want to let me know. I'm seriously so smooth with the review-fishing, it should be a crime. Point is, I hope you liked it!**

**P.S. The title of this one is funny to me because my friends and I always tell each other to "Man up" when we're trying to get someone to do something. Today, I saw a quote from Betty White that made me realize we should be saying "Woman up" instead. Here it is: "Why do people say 'Grow some balls?' Balls are weak and sensitive! If you really wanna get tough, grow a vagina! Those things take a pounding!"**


	27. In Which The Thracian Steals The Mic

**Oh man, you guys keep me on my toes! I love your reviews no matter what you say, but when you guys muse out loud about what might happen you definitely get my wheels turning. Seems like we want to hear from Future Eric, which I'm totes down with (as soon as I figure out what he's up to lol). But I had already started this chapter before I got that feedback so I figured I would post it. It's Godric POV, which sort of came out of left field but I think it works. I hope you like it! CH/AB own all this stuff.**

"Heels nicely, does she not?" I asked Cabral, keeping my tone conversational. I made a point not to look at him, allowing my eyes to scan the assembled crowd instead. It was imperative that he not suspect Sookie's gift. After all she'd told us about this Edgington and his love of collecting, I certainly did not want him to set his mind on acquiring her.

"Whom?" he asked, affecting nonchalance. Whom indeed. I was perfectly aware that he had seen the entire exchange between Sookie and myself, and not only because she had relayed his thoughts immediately. I'd noticed his interest, seen his body tense slightly as he began to think through what he was seeing. When his thoughts abruptly changed to exports, it was clear that he believed she could hear his thoughts as well.

"Oh, I do apologize. I presumed you'd noticed her responding to my call," I answered, looking over at him. He schooled his features into a politely interested mask and I had to give him credit for his efforts. He, after all, wasn't aware of my age or experience. In this instance, those two factors rendered unnecessary my gift of intuition. Which he, obviously, was ignorant of as well.

"Your call?"

"Yes, I called her attention only a moment ago through my blood," I explained. He could not know that Eric was in fact Sookie's Maker and since she had ingested such copious amounts of my own blood of late, the scent she carried resembled mine closely enough to support the ruse. "I am her Maker, after all."

That revelation caused one perfectly arched eyebrow to raise ever so slightly. "I wasn't sure if she was yours or the Vikings," he admitted. I nodded slightly.

"Mine. They are both mine," I confirmed, glancing across the room at them as I spoke. Sookie was clearly agitated, though attempting to hide it. Eric, on the surface, appeared calm and quite collected. I, of course, saw the signs of his distress; tightened eyes, the way his fingers curled into the palm of his free hand as he moved slowly through the crowd, the muscle bunched in his jaw.

"You have exquisite taste," he complimented me. I shifted my eyes back to his face, noting the appraisal he was making. I didn't need to follow his gaze to know he was looking at Eric. I allowed myself a small smile at his words of praise.

"The packages they came in are quite beautiful, I agree. However, it was the contents of those packages that piqued my interest. They both have a zest for life that I find irresistible," I explained, stopping myself before I revealed too much. Before I told him how appealing I found their strength to be. Or the fact that in them, I saw the warriors they truly were. Of course that was obvious in Eric, one need only look at the man to see it. With Sookie, the signs were much more subtle but there nonetheless. He nodded, as though he understood what I was saying. "Have you sired any children yourself?"

He shook his head at my question. "No, I have not. I have not had the desire to do so, though I am close with my Maker," he told me. I nodded, knowing that already from the information Sookie had given us.

"Then you understand the pull of your Maker's call," I started. When he nodded, I continued. "When Anne arrived, I wished for my children to be aware. They know that I desire an early audience with Anne this evening, if at all possible. I require sustenance and would prefer to find off of the castles grounds," I added when he looked at me questioningly. "I indicated that Anne had arrived and she immediately informed Eric so that we can hopefully gain that audience," I finished in an almost bored tone. It was a stroke of immeasurable luck that Sookie had chosen to relay my message to Eric verbally as I was quite certain Cabral had seen. Had she chosen to communicate it to him mentally, this entire fabrication would have failed.

"The Viking does not heed your call?" His tone remained merely interested, and so I did not take offense.

"Indeed, he does. However, I did not wish to interrupt his discourse with the Lady Wentworth," I explained, indicating the aged countess with a slight tilt of my head. He nodded, apparently accepting this explanation of events. I was not naïve enough to believe that he would not mention the exchange to his Maker or even to hope that my version of events erased all doubt in his mind, but it did remove us from immediate danger. With even a slight doubt, he would surely postpone any action until Edgington arrived. I focused on pushing assurance toward Sookie. When I caught her attention this time, she did not turn while I informed her that I had covered the situation. I did not wish for either of them to worry more than necessary about the situation.

"Allow me to tarry no longer," he bowed slightly. "I believe you may make that early audience. I look forward to your company on the morrow," he added as he straightened. I nodded graciously.

"I thank you and look forward to yours as well," I told him. A moment later, I was making my way through the humans. We simply had to be more careful. The thought of losing Sookie was enough to incite panic in me, though I dare not give in to the temptation. Not only for her sake, but Eric's as well. If I were to falter and allow myself to succumb to an emotion like fear or panic, it would ruin him. For centuries, I had been his mentor. Warrior though he was, I was his strength and well I knew it. It was a responsibility I filled with honor and would not cease to.

Especially not now, when I felt more alive than I had in decades. Sookie's appearance in our lives had radically shaken my view on many things. Hearing the future that awaited me was harrowing, I admit. Though as I had told her, it was not wholly unexpected. I was already growing despondent, though I hid it well. I loved Eric more than words could express, but I was losing the love I'd always had for myself. Despite any appearance to the contrary, I was nothing more than a selfish creature. Even in the depths of my despair as a human, I held on to the will to live, fighting like a Myrmidon against the man who would become my Maker. Of late I could feel that vitality slipping away from me.

Then Sookie came to us, and new life was breathed in. Her mere presence had been enough to have me looking forward to each new night. The conversations we'd had were delightful. The lust of life and knowledge that dominated her being was infectious. The gift of her body was an epiphany for me. That short while that I paced the forest earlier, awaiting her decision, had been misery. The shame and guilt she clearly felt when she had awoken had invoked a hollowness in me that was frightening.

I wasn't concerned with the sex. Had she declared she wished never to lie with me again, I would have accepted her decision without hesitation. It was not about the carnal nature of what we had done the previous night. No, the idea that had terrified me was the possibility of our friendship being compromised. If we could not converse as we had been, or even share a companionable silence with her simple proximity being a comfort in itself, I would be devastated.

Of course, when she had emerged from our lair to tell me she wished to be with me, in all ways, I was overjoyed. I could understand her doubts and misgivings. She was only recently made vampire and therefore retained much of her human way of thinking. While it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to myself and to Eric, I imagine the idea of two mates would be considered taboo to the human mind. The catch is, we are not human. We resemble them physically. We are adaptable to their changing culture, their social ways and their mating rituals. Our bodies, while far superior, are compatible with theirs. Our minds, our 'values' and our instincts, however, could not be more alien.

Sookie was of exceptional intelligence but succumbing to her new nature would take some time. Although, there were certain aspects that I doubted she would ever accept. Blood lust, for example. While she was clearly a victim of it, she seemed to have no desire to take life. I wouldn't say that I admired that conviction, necessarily, but I did respect it. Lesser vampires would have quickly acquiesced to mine and Eric's wishes on the night I had presented her with Anna. Sookie, however, had barely wavered in her insistence that draining a human was not necessary. Admirable, that.

In short, the list of beings in this world that I would compromise my own safety for had doubled on the night she had arrived. It only took me a few evenings to realize that. Sookie was as important to me as Eric and there was nothing I would not do to ensure her safety. Which was why her physical training need to commence immediately.

It would be difficult but it would be done. Eric would be the better teacher for the offensive displays, though whether he would be willing was another matter entirely. It is never an easy thing to spar with someone you have a personal regard for, much less a woman you love. Especially considering that she would not be quick enough or good enough in the beginning. Which meant that she would sustain injuries. At our hands. Not something to be taken lightly. I was certain that _she_ would not hesitate. Her character would dictate that she do whatever necessary to complete our goal and maintain our safety. It was simply a matter of bringing Eric to terms with what must be done. And myself.

When I finally made my way through the main area of the receiving room, I took my place next to Sookie. Her small hand slid into mine easily, a gesture that was a surprise and a comfort at once. I smiled grimly over her head, locking eyes with Eric. "It is time," I told him under my breath. His eyes hardened at my words, confirming that he knew exactly what I meant. One stiff nod was the only answer I received. The only one I needed. As we were presented to Anne, I began making a rough outline for the next phase of Sookie's training. When she suddenly pitched alarmingly to one side with an awkward head bob and embarrassment flooded my bond, I added a mental note to teach her to curtsey.

If I had to turn a laugh into a cough, well, I wasn't the only one. Meeting Eric's eyes once again, seeing laughter dancing in the blue depths, I knew that he would do anything to keep her safe.

Which made two of us.

**A/N Short, I know! But what did you think? I heart Godric and I had fun with this one. Hope you guys did too!**


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